David Bradford wasn’t always a taxi-cab driver. Once an art director for Saks Fifth Avenue, he only turned to taxi driving once he left the fashion retail company to become a freelance designer and illustrator.
He made the big switch in order to gain more free time for independent projects. Having always actively pursued the visual and performing arts since an early age, Bradford allowed his passion to infiltrate all aspects of his daily life – including his job as a taxi driver. He took photographs from his position in the cab at first as references to use for his drawings. In 1993, Bradford began to take his photography more seriously and devoted these pictures to capturing the essence of his vision of New York City. After shooting these personal depictions of the city for a decade, Bradford published his work in the book “Drive-By Shootings.” Selling out its first printing of 50,000 within just three months, the book proved that the greatest art can be captured in everyday life. Bradford went on to publish a second, more personal and thought-provoking book, called “The New York Taxi Back Seat Book.” The work that comprises this book was taken in post-9/11 New York City. Bradford has proven again and again with his timeless work just how much one can learn about humanity from looking out the window of his or her taxi cab.
