I feel as if I’ve crossed paths with Norman Reedus many times—yet in reality, we’ve never spoken until now. We both consider New York City home, at least most of the time, and that consideration has surely informed us, whether it’s what we see or how we see it. Reedus has had the opportunity to see more than most, given his multi-media, multi-disciplinary reach—though in a sense that’s just part of a bigger story. Born in South Florida, he did a brief stint  in Kansas where he attended college before heading to Japan. Eventually, he landed in Venice Beach, California, and seemingly found his spot—one that would become a stepping stone for a career that embraces photography and art, filmmaking, television, fashion and the written word. His role as Daryl Dixon in the long-running The Walking Dead and its popular spin-off gave him face and name recognition—that along with everything else is what makes him Norman Reedus. 

For the moment, Reedus is turning the focus to his just-released book of photographs, In Transit, including an exhibition that recently opened at The Gallery at SoHo Grand in downtown New York City. Presenting images that vary in subject matter and size, they are intentional yet of the moment—there’s a connection between them that allows for an appreciation not only for the photographer’s eye but the camera’s ability to be a partner in the process. When that partnership works, the relationship becomes an embrace—one that we see clearly with In Transit.

The work in this exhibition offers a mood, or more accurately a variety of moods—a personal vision that captures that flash between dream-reality and the reality of life—they’re all seen in varying degrees of darkness and light, and the chance to see what Reedus wants us to see. There’s almost a distant sound to this singular vision, which appears both familiar and far away. Reedus presents this unique opportunity to see what’s in front of us, the possibility of seeing beyond what we’re looking at and the wondering of what’s really happening. It’s a look inside and out that’s both documentary and personal—one that can only be described as In Transit.

Speaking to Norman Reedus about his work offers a revelation—the prospect of getting a bit closer to what he was looking for and what he’s found in the images that make up this latest collection of photographs. In the press release for In Transit at The Gallery he refers to the images as “…moments that got me from here to there.”  I get that—and when I spoke with Norman Reedus I got a lot more.

 The actor and artist Norman Reedus. 

Richard Boch: Hi Norman, I’m just wondering at what point in your life did you first pick up a camera? Did you play around with one as a kid and did either your family or friends take many photos when you were growing up? 

Norman Reedus: We didn’t actually take a lot of photos as a kid but I got into photography in high school. I bounced around to a lot of schools. I’d listen to Joy Division and spend all day in the darkroom—I’d get assignments and go to graveyards taking pictures of headstones (laughs) and at that age, I kind of just got lost in that world. 

RB: Well high school was an easy place to get lost.

NR: Totally, junior high especially.

RB: I was looking for trouble when I was twelve or thirteen.

NR: Yeah, me too.

Vacation. © Norman Reedus 2023

RB: So, looking through the images from In Transit, the range of subjects really are as you say, “moments from here to there.” What you’ve chosen to see and then capture with your camera has a range that goes beyond the obvious and becomes a what’s really happening there moment in time. There’s form and light and composition that’s somehow straightforward but not. It’s both a reveal and an appreciation of what lies beneath the surface or beyond a first glance. What are you looking for? What makes you take the shot?

NR: Things that give me pause. Looking at something and reflecting on it even for a second—these moments from here and there, they’re very personal. I think, if you try to take a photograph to take a photograph or to sell a photograph, you can always tell the difference. Looking at something and seeing a little piece of me as much as seeing what you’re looking at, they’re just moments in my head. I was shooting a film and I took a picture outside my trailer at dusk—it was this blurry image but you could feel things in the photograph—it’s that moment in time and those moments can be very powerful. Being able to feel what’s going on in a photograph is great.

RB: I’m looking at several images that I picked almost at random that affect me in different ways—between “Vacation,” “Kids” and “Mood Lightening,” they’re all very different yet I can feel a strange connection. I’ve looked over a hotel balcony at a swimming pool, I’ve seen that flash of lightning and I’ve been in that nighttime burn of Graffiti and debris. There’s an odd spirit and a sense of beauty in all three. What do you see and feel looking at those images? 

NR: If I push the button on the camera I’m trying to capture something. I don’t take a lot of photographs. I try not to use anything but natural light most of the time. The photographs I take are usually intentional ones. I have the camera and I start taking pictures—a lot of my time is scheduled so when I get to take a photo or run around with my camera it’s my time, it’s the time when my phone is off—it’s a break and it’s like a bubble around me. It’s me alone and I want to capture those moments where I’m alone. Everything is intentional once I accidentally find it. You know what I mean?

Kids. © Norman Reedus 2023

RB: Well, I do know what you mean. For me, it’s like finding an answer or finding something I’ve misplaced. So as an actor and writer, an artist and entrepreneur, the camera—regardless of which side you’re standing on—is a place where you surely find familiarity if not comfort. You have an understanding of the medium of film. Tell me how everything connects and how it all comes together with In Transit.

NR: That’s a complicated question. I got into acting without knowing where I was headed. Trying to figure it all out, giving up a slice of yourself and thinking I don’t know why I would give you that. Photography is kind of the same—I still want to hold onto it for myself. It’s, in a way, why I started doing photography shows and books for charity. That’s how I started selling photographs rather than taking photographs to sell.

RB: How does your other work influence you as a photographer and lastly, how do you find the time to make it all happen?

NR: I have to sort of hold on to my side of the camera. I hope my time, my personal time, my view of things and my perception of things blend with other work I’m doing or I’ve been doing. I’ve been working at it long enough that it’s going in the direction I wanted, going down the road I wanted to go down. Looking at things in the moment, I’m walking around being Norman with my hair in my eyes and listening to Joy Division. That’s what I’m doing.

RB: Thanks Norman, this has been a great conversation.

NR: I appreciate it. Thanks, Richard.

 

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NORMAN REEDUS: IN TRANSIT

Soho Grand Gallery

Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm – 6pm

January 31 – May 18, 2025

INTERVIEW Richard Boch

PHOTOGRAPHY © Norman Reedus

Richard Boch writes GrandLife’s New York Stories column and is the author of The Mudd Club, a memoir recounting his time as doorman at the legendary New York nightspot, which doubled as a clubhouse for the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Debbie Harry and Talking Heads among others. To hear about Richard’s favorite New York spots for art, books, drinks, and more, read his Locals interview—here.