Photographer Henry Wessel modified his camera so he could shoot one-handed through the windshield while driving on his daily commute – and according to him, "A glance was enough"

Henry Wessel, a renowned photographer born in New Jersey in 1942, made a unique method of photography famous in the early 1980s. While commuting from his home in the East Bay to a teaching job in San Francisco, he noticed the morning and evening light on his drive was worth stopping for. However, instead of stopping, he modified his camera to enable one-handed use, readying it in his car.

This allowed him to photograph other drivers through his windshield while still behind the wheel, creating the basis for two landmark portfolios, Incidents (2012) and Traffic (2017), which features approximately 30 years of previously unfinished or unshown pictures. Despite the apparent danger, Wessel explained that he only did this when there was light and his eyes were open, finding it vital, challenging, and indulgent.

The exhibition "Henry Wessel: Photographs and Books" at The Grolier Club in New York until November 14 covers his career, from his earliest work in 1968 to his later color projects, and places him alongside influential photographers like Walker Evans, Weegee, Helen Levitt, Garry Winogrand, and Lee Friedlander. The exhibition includes his Steidl-published books with minimal text, as Wessel preferred to simply take pictures, finding the camera's facility to be a vital and challenging medium.