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Hal C Clarke
Imagine turning New York City’s traffic cameras into your personal photo booth, capturing unique snapshots of yourself with the iconic Big Apple skyline as your backdrop. This imaginative concept has become a reality thanks to TrafficCamPhotoBooth.com, a website recently launched by Morry Kolman, a resident of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The site provides New Yorkers access to over 900 traffic cameras in real-time, allowing users to creatively capture moments from the streets of the city that never sleeps.
Kolman’s project taps into the wealth of traffic camera footage already available on the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) website, making it accessible in a new and engaging way. Users can visit TrafficCamPhotoBooth.com, where they can select a traffic camera from the vast network, choose between a Polaroid or photo booth strip format, and pose for a snapshot. The process is simple: find the nearest traffic camera, strike a pose, and with a click of a button, the camera captures the moment. It’s a playful twist on the conventional selfie, blending urban life with personal creativity.
The 28-year-old creator, who goes by the moniker “WTTDOTM” online, shared his inspiration behind the project. “What I like about this project specifically is that people love to be given something, especially something about themselves,” Kolman explained. He envisioned the Traffic Camera Photo Booth as a way to engage the public with the city’s extensive surveillance system in a fun and light-hearted manner. Rather than being a passive element of the urban environment, these cameras become tools for personal expression.
Since its launch, the site has quickly gained traction. In the first three days alone, Kolman recorded 3,880 visits and 918 photos taken. He offers some tips for getting the best traffic camera photos: wear bright clothing, pose with large groups of people, and most importantly, always look both ways before crossing the street. The website humorously advises users to “Stop traffic with your looks, not your body.” To ensure the camera captures a good shot, Kolman recommends holding poses for a few seconds at a time.
The idea for TrafficCamPhotoBooth.com was born out of an art class called Imperfect Pictures, which Kolman took at the School for Poetic Computation. The project reflects his interest in finding innovative ways to capture images without directly pressing the shutter button. Initially, he considered creating an app for the project, but decided against it due to the costs and complexity involved. “Making an app sucks and costs money, and I have to pay Apple,” Kolman explained. Instead, he opted for a website, which aligns with his vision of creating independent, free, and interesting online platforms that have a real-world impact.
New York City’s unique urban landscape made it the perfect setting for Kolman’s project. Unlike cities where traffic is mostly confined to highways, New York’s bustling intersections provide ample opportunities for pedestrians to interact with traffic cameras. Kolman points out that these cameras are hosted through URLs, with images refreshing every two seconds, which means he didn’t have to do much behind-the-scenes work to make the project function.
The success of TrafficCamPhotoBooth.com has already sparked interest in expanding the project to other cities. Kolman has received multiple requests and is considering Atlanta or Salt Lake City as potential next steps. The project is hosted on GitHub, an open-source platform, allowing anyone interested to replicate the concept in their city.
