My Wonderland, continued
The photographer first presented his observations of New York in his 2022 book, My Wonderland. Now the series about the Big Apple continues – following social and political changes, his snapshots capture the constant, tense interplay between human connection and profound loneliness.
The Interview
Your new project is a continuation of your My Wonderland series. What is different this time?
Actually, I don’t see this new series as a change of direction, but rather as an ongoing evolution. My first book, My Wonderland, which is now sold out, covered the first ten years of my work in Manhattan. I never intended it to be a final destination; it was merely the opening chapter. In a way, nothing has changed, yet everything is different. By working over such a long period, I’m essentially walking alongside the city as it transforms. For instance, in the first book, only seven out of sixty images were taken before the pandemic. This new work captures the subsequent mutation of New York and its people. I’m documenting the city’s transition through the era we are living in, witnessing how the soul of Manhattan shifts over time.
Why is New York a wonderland for you?
To me, a Wonderland isn’t a fairy tale, it’s a place where you feel most like yourself, a sanctuary you yearn to return to, ideally once a year, to reset. It’s a place that stands apart from my daily routine, a sphere where I don’t ‘work’ in the traditional sense, but rather a time capsule where I can fully immerse myself in the present moment. New York is that place for me because of its unique brand of freedom. There’s a beautiful indifference there; people are so absorbed in their own lives that they don’t pay attention to others. This collective anonymity makes everything feel easy and uninhibited. It gives you the space to just be.
What are you looking for in the city?
I don’t go out with a checklist or a specific subject in mind. Instead, I go out looking for the vibration of the city. What New York offers me is an unparalleled, raw energy; it’s like a constant electric current that pushes you forward. This energy is a mix of millions of individual stories crossing paths, the verticality of the skyscrapers, and that unique ‘New York minute’ where everything can change in a heartbeat. For a photographer, this energy is a gift. It creates a state of heightened awareness where I’m not just an observer, but a participant. The city feeds me with its pace, its tension, and its light. I’m not ‘looking’ for anything specific; I’m waiting for that energy to crystallize into a moment that feels true.
What fascinates you about street photography?
What fascinates me most is the unfiltered honesty of the street. To me, authentic street photography is a form of truth-telling; because nothing is staged or choreographed, it has the unique power to capture the raw essence of our era. In a world that moves at an exhausting pace, where everything is often curated or filtered, a photograph acts as a necessary anchor. It allows us to freeze time, to isolate a single heartbeat within the chaos. There is something deeply moving about catching a spontaneous gesture or a fleeting glance that will never happen again. Ultimately, I see my work as a visual archive. By documenting these unscripted moments, I’m not just taking pictures; I’m preserving a piece of history.
Do you have any photographic role models?
When it comes to the New York streets, I’ve always looked up to the wit and timing of Jeff Mermelstein, the quiet poetry of Gus Powell and, of course, the legendary Joel Meyerowitz, who truly defined the colour of Manhattan. On a broader level, I’m deeply influenced by masters of narrative like Joel Sternfeld and Alex Webb. I must also mention Greg Halpern and Alec Soth; their atmospheric and highly personal approach to the American landscape was a major guide for me when I was working on my second book, Before Rebirth.
What does colour mean to you in photography, and how did the Leica camera suit your needs?
To me, colour is synonymous with reality. While I deeply admire the tradition of black and white photography, my goal is to document my environment and our era as they truly are. colour is an inseparable part of the urban landscape, and this is especially true in New York, the city’s identity is built on its specific palette. That’s where my Leica comes into play. I’ve been using the Q series since 2017, and I’ve been shooting with the Q3 since its release in 2023. What I love about it is how it delivers remarkably natural colours right out of the camera. The rendering is so faithful to what I saw that it saves me a tremendous amount of time in post-processing. In street photography, speed is everything – not just when you click the shutter, but also in your workflow. Having a camera that captures the ‘realness’ of the moment so accurately allows me to stay true to the scene without having to over-edit my images back at the computer.
How will your Wonderland series continue?
Since the release of My Wonderland in 2022, I’ve already returned to New York four times, and I’m heading back again at the end of May. This will be my first visit since the city’s recent political changes, and I’m curious to see how that translates in the streets. I’m not in a hurry to define what comes next; for now, I’m simply focused on capturing the city’s ongoing mutation. I’m leaving the door open – if these new images eventually form a coherent story, they might naturally lead to a second chapter or a new publication. But for the moment, I’m just enjoying the process of watching the story of Manhattan unfold, frame by frame.
© Corentin_Fohlen
About Cedric Roux
The work of French photographer Cedric Roux has its roots primarily in the streets of megacities. As places of movement and tension, they become settings for presence, immediacy and chance encounters. Through long-term projects such as My Wonderland and Before Rebirth, his images reveal urban environments in fragments of vulnerability, loneliness and disillusionment. His work in exhibited and published regularly in France and around the world. His most recent project is titled Lost Angels.
