In the early 1980s, photographer Henry Wessel - for the sake of a steady paycheck - frequently commuted from Richmond, California, to San Francisco in the early morning rush hour. Surrounded by other versions of himself - encapsulated drivers making their own way to work - the daily drill seemed daunting and hopeless. With resignation however came inspiration. The monotonous movement of stop-and-go vehicles allowed Wessel a quick peek into the other cars, and for a brief moment - illuminated by the bright axial morning sunlight - he witnessed instances of determination, impatience and blank boredom. And so he began to photograph his fellow commuters as they slowly ploughed through traffic. These circumstances allowed for only a glance, but it is all Wessel's intuitive eye needed.

Born in New Jersey in 1942, Henry Wessel has been awarded two Guggenheim Fellowships and three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has exhibited extensively including solo shows at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and Tate Modern in London. Steidl has published eight of Wessel's books, including "Waikiki" (2011) and "Incidents" (2013).