ROAD WORK by Greg Soone (ISBN, LCCN) is a book of street photography from the 1970s and 1980s with 103 black and white photos and 20 color photos. New York City, the Bay Area, and Chinatown are featured prominently but other locales appear as well. As a Chinese American photographer from Oakland, California and now living in Vancouver, much of my work can be seen through the lens of race and culture, with arresting images of African Americans and the Chinese immigrant community, among others.
The photographs suggest a keen eye for recording the passing moments that reveal deeper truths about our society. With its emphasis on spontaneity, my work draws inspiration from the street photography tradition, finding beauty and meaning in the ordinary. Road Work contributes to our understanding of the past and serves as a poignant reminder of the rich tapestry of everyday life.
2026 UPDATE! Revision 2 includes some newly discovered Chinatown photos. Woo Hoo!
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Road Work is in the permanent collection of the following libraries:
University of British Columbia Library
Vancouver Public Library
Burnaby Public Library
View the slide show book talk hosted by Powell Street Festival on May 29, 2022 here: Youtube
Errata: page 95 – Monmartre should be Montmartre
page 124 – Arcos de la Fontera should be Arcos de la Frontera
“Road Work” by Greg Soone is a captivating exploration of the American road trip experience. Through stunning photography and insightful narratives, the book immerses readers in the landscapes, people, and stories encountered on the open road. A visual journey that captures the essence of adventure and discovery.
– Vancouver Public Library
VPL – Books Just For You – Street Photography & More
“Road Work” is a slim volume, tightly curated: the best of one photographer’s vision from two decades. My brain wanted structure and came up with urban versus rural. Then I noticed the cities – New York, Paris, San Francisco, Vancouver – and the countries – Canada, Greece, Mexico, Spain, U.S. My tourist brain pulled up its data bank of doing similar things in similar places, of carrying a camera everywhere and shooting everything.
– Linda Yip
Historian and member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Ancestry Canada Advisory Board
Review in Past Presence
The mere fact of having a book of photographs is in itself something beautifully retro and significant… Greg’s book brings back a vision that many of us in the digital selfie infused world have forgotten or are just beginning to discover… [His] work is reflective of a “golden age” of a socially conscious artistically created utilization of photography to create a discourse on the everyday world around us.
– John Pai
Review in the International Examiner
In the intersection between time and space, Soone’s images touch down to freeze the “moment.” Whether it’s a man pushing a fluid of ice, blood and water across a Chinatown fish market floor, the looming shadow on an alley wall as two people conspire around the corner, or three strangers, each preoccupied in their own thoughts at a New York city subway stop – the photographer takes it all in and makes you a witness to this life. On the street, down the alley and across the horizon – anywhere in this world.
– Alan Chong Lau
Painter and American Book Award-winning author of Songs for Jadina
One of those photographic books that effortlessly draws you back to another time and another place. Soone’s camera has captured interesting moments, angles and details, and makes you wish you could just step into these photos.
– Catherine Clement
Curator and recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s medal for
Chinatown Through a Wide Lens: The Hidden Photographs of Yucho Chow
Every image invites closer scrutiny because this book contains time and places that I’ve known and almost forgotten. Give yourself time to savour these images; they will transport you to myriad worlds, all too real.
– Paul Yee
Historian, acclaimed fiction writer, and recipient of the Vancouver Book Award for
Saltwater City: an Illustrated History of the Chinese in Vancouver
Click on image to view as slide show
Photos copyright © 2021 by Greg Soone · All Rights Reserved
Contact email: roadworkphotos at outlook dot com
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ROAD WORK by Greg Soone 
Hi Greg,
Your work is fantastic. I’d love to sit down and chat with you about it, if you were interested. Not sure the best way to contact you, but if you have an email address I could send a message to, let me know!
Thanks so much,
Stephanie
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Stephanie, thanks for the compliments. My email (slightly disguised) is roadworkphotos at outlook dot com
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Hi Greg,
This is Brandon, I was at your recent talk at the cinematheque (also had a leica). Again loved your work, a lot of strong images in there. As I said I’d like to share my research on Jim Wong-Chu with you, and will connect with you via email (my email is brandonjleung95@gmail.com).
Brandon Leung
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Hi Greg,
Excellent show. I enjoyed your talk on your photos. Thanks for signing the book and letting me snap a picture of you. I’ll send you a copy.
Douglas
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It was great to meet you. I always enjoy talking to photographers. Keep on shooting.
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