While working as a taxi driver for his father's company in Swansea, Wales, Mike Harvey decided to get more than a cab fare from his customers. "I began documenting the taxi passengers, with their permission, because I found the journeys and interactions to be so fascinating," he tells BuzzFeed.
"I never knew who might get into the taxi next, nor what conversations or situations might follow – it was a lottery."
Harvey titles each photo in his ongoing series with the cost of the taxi journey.
"£3.06"
After speaking to his passengers and getting to know them on a more personal level, he asks for their photograph. Harvey says the experiences he has had with his art subjects has taught him not to judge people at first glance and to be a happier person.
Harvey hopes to take the ongoing photo project to other parts of the world.
"£13.90"
"I can't think of another format of space where two or more people are put together in a temporary space, with an air of expected trust and anonymity, that allows for an exchange of conversation in public privacy." Harvey says. "The topics that were discussed could be about anything – life, death, relationships, careers, happiness, suffering, and everything else surrounding those experiences. And quite literally witnessing life and death in and around the taxi – a lady in labour or a person needing emergency assistance and CPR. It was a form of unexpected extreme observation and interaction."
"£2.87"
"£5.15"
"£4.66"
"I would describe those interactions as fleeting, fascinating, thought-provoking, and educational – I'm hooked on taxi driving because it has provided me with an education about life."
"£4.66"
"£4.58"
"£4.00"
"I've learnt never to judge people by first observations. We are all misrepresented sometimes – we all go through a process of being misunderstood. At the beginning of taxi-driving there were people I wrongly read, and learning their personalities over time taught me a lesson about being non-judgemental. And patience: I feel it's important to really listen, empathise, and understand people's circumstances in life before offering any advice or judgement. The photographs aren't even fair representations of the people in them – they are just a snapshot of people at that moment in time."
"£6.42"
"£6.86"
"Everything changes – life and our experiences of the human condition is in constant flux. Listening, being patient, and being appreciative of other people's experiences of life has helped me to be a happier person."
"£42.94"
