Strangers Guide

Photograph by ullstein bild Dtl./ullstein bild via Getty Images. It is 1892, and Douglas Hyde—the man who will later become Ireland’s first president—is speaking at the Irish National Literary Society in Dublin. He is calling for a sustained program of cultural de-anglicization, calling for Irish culture to be privileged so that it might be reimposed.

A fashion show held at a chic cultural center. Lagos. 2007. Photograph by Thomas Dworzak. © Magnum Photos. The Lagos my mother grew up in was a small city. She lived a middle-class life in a part of town that some considered a slum, playing on the streets with neighbors. My grandfather was a doctor, and other professionals lived nearby, but the neighborhood was also home to petty traders, mechanics and blue-collar workers.

By the late 1990s, 80 percent of all logging in the Amazon was illegal. There were few incentives to replant trees, and this led to a loss of habitat and biodiversity and overhunting of the wildlife. Instead of replanting the trees that were lost, farmers converted some of what remained to agricultural use or as pasture for cattle. Elsewhere, ranchers clear-cut forests to use for cattle grazing by setting fires.

Soccer fans celebrate Vietnam’s silver medals at the Asian Football Confederation. Hanoi. 2018. Photograph by Linh Pham/Getty Images. The evenings are never quiet in Vietnam’s two most bustling cities, but on a 2018 night, the cacophony of motorbike horns and whooping voices was unusually deafening. From Hanoi to Hồ Chí Minh City, thousands waved flags and pennants while riding through the streets. An endless sea of red peppered with yellow stars, which combine to make the Vietnam flag.

You can tell within the first 30 seconds what kind of ride it’s going to be. Body language, tone of voice, a smile, how they greet you. The ones who think they’re famous are usually the most work. The actual celebrities? They’re often the easiest. They want to sit quietly and not be bothered. I’m like a therapist on wheels. People tell me things they wouldn’t tell their own family. I’ve had people cry in my car, throw up, propose, break up. The 3 a.m. pickups are different.

New York City Documenting the daily arrests made by ICE agents at immigration courts in Downtown Manhattan PHOTOGRAPHY BY Nicolò Filippo Rosso The work of the state is in full view inside the immigration courts at 26 Federal Plaza and 290 Broadway in New York City, where ICE agents routinely arrest non-US citizens attending hearings. Photographer Nicolò Filippo Rosso spent weekdays over the summer of 2025 documenting the daily arrests at immigration courts in Downtown Manhattan.

Nightclub valet driver, San Francisco, 2014. (From ‘Out Here’ 2014-2026). Photo © Rian Dundon. Even though I have two college degrees, most of my steady employment has been in the service industry. To be honest I do feel like a failure. But in the end I think most of life is determined by chance and timing. They say you are what you do, but I think that’s wrong. You are who you are and what you do is just a byproduct of circumstance and necessity.

We are thrilled to announce our first-ever photography issue! The time we spend working is time spent serving, agonizing, creating, thinking and toiling. In this 22nd print issue of Stranger’s Guide, you’ll find stunning photo essays from Nigeria, China, Venezuela, and New York—all exploring the theme of work and labor.

A few years ago I discovered a collection of vintage photos of my mother as a “white-collar” office worker in New York City in the late 1960s. I looked at the images and pored over every detail of this bygone era, wondering what it might be like if the movie 9 to 5 were remade with women of color? Originally from Panama, my mother migrated to New York City to pursue her dream of a new, American life.

Venezuela A day in the life behind the wheel of one of Caracas' aging giants PHOTOGRAPHY BY Vladimir Marcano The transportation system in Caracas, Venezuela is as anachronistic as it is resilient. Many buses in daily operation are 50 to 60 years old, and are primarily used by the city’s poorest residents, as the metro does not reach many low-income areas.