This article was originally published in 2017 on YP.SG. This version is prior to the editing and stylistic adaptations of YP.SG. Find the original article here.
Getting on an Uber armed with cameras could turn out better for you than an episode of FakeTAXI (pornography within the reality genre). The Ubergrapher, known publicly only as "Maverick", finds joy in taking photos of his Uber passengers, typically posting them on his Instagram profile accompanied by very unfiltered comments.
He's even released an official photo-book compiling his posts with Uber-- which raises the question: what is it about this man that makes the otherwise shady request (of asking to take a picture of you in his car)seem so ordinary, to so many?
Capturing devices are positioned ever so discreetly, so photos on Maverick's Instagram are unlikely to be eager exchanges for good conversation. Even for the Instagram generation, "nothing could go wrong..right?" is likely an ever-lingering thought you'll have on this Uber ride.
The Art of Remembering 11,500 Faces
Maverick has hit a milestone of 11,500 trips today, so it's understandable how he's become so comfortable with conversation, though not all trips might have gone as smoothly as mine's going. This is, after all, a media interview, so he's probably had the opportunity to rehearse quite a number of times (specifically 6 other times, according to him).
He gets the interview rolling on his own initiative, telling me everything I need to know about why he does what he does.
He started taking rider photos in October last year, an attempt at inculcating his hobby into work. It's an attempt at humanizing and breaking the routines of hid everydays, given the nature of his job.
In April this year, he published a photobook with Uber, a compilation of his photographs and their accompanying Instagram captions. It’s part of the whopping 700 stories that he has gathered in 6 months of driving.
“I’m facing the road and they’re sitting at the back, so I use photographs to have memory.”
He's no Humans of New York, and he doesn't try to be. Maverick describes his style as "light-hearted comment and captioning,” and not “heavy-hearted transcripts”.
“I may not think too much, I just say what I say, there are pros and cons to never thinking about the consequences.”
That explains the occasional queasy caption on his feed.
Too Close For Comfort?
Adhering to the inhibition-lowering nature of his conversations with passengers, the pictures taken of them are up-close and gritty, from behind the window by the driver’s seat.
They’re also an inadvertent source of insight on passengers depending on how they respond to requests for these photos. Some instantly reach for their glamour kit for some light touch-ups, he says, while others opt for multiple takes before selecting one where they look their best. And some others simply cannot care less.
Considering his success in getting passengers to converse candidly, and from his photobook, I surmise the genius of his location: parked by popular nightlife spots, he easily gains a clientele considerably relaxed and loosened up prior to their meeting him—definitely a contributing factor to his consenting “90% of customers.”
He realistically comments that not everything can be attributed to alcohol and relaxed demeanours. Maverick admits that the possibly alarming realisation of being “trapped in a car” certainly contributes to their willingness to politely answer questions.
However, it’s clear it isn’t uncommon for most to genuinely warm up to him, even offering personal stories of heartbreak, or simply complaining as if talking to a long-time acquaintance.
Despite a questionable approach, Maverick has racked up his fair share of fans, even going so far as to hold competitions with a ride in his vehicle being the reward.
Unfortunately, the nature of Uber’s passenger-driver matching system prioritises efficiency and reasonable proximity as opposed to granting fans their wish to meet the Ubergrapher… he sounds a little relieved at this.
In spite of this, he has still come across a self-proclaimed fan or two, even being asked to sign autographs for them and eagerly posing for his famed shots—a skill, he jokes, that he has honed to the point of making anyone look good.
I Don’t Really Spy With My Little Eye…
Socialising is especially tiring on downcast days, so a “stealthy” set-up is perfect for Maverick. The only way to actually spot the Ubergrapher is through the bulky Canon EOS-1D that he has on his dashboard, that he puts away sometimes anyways.
Speaking about his YouTube channel (launched in April this year), Maverick mentions the discreet Go-Pro camera that he uses for recording “somewhere at the back”.
He typically reveals its presence to passengers mid-ride, so as to incite most “natural”, genuine reactions possible.
I’m not sure I can imagine those revelations going well most of the time.
He claims he hasn’t had any hostile responses to date, and has a “pretty high success rate of customers giving consent”. If plausible, I presume it is because of the situation that could only either seem cornering or completely orderly to customers.
Though Maverick says he simply doesn’t publish content that customers don’t consent to, I cannot begin to fathom the awkwardness involved in having to turn off all equipment when a customer’s unhappy, all to follow with a sullen ride and the prospect of an awful review.
I suppose having all of your streaming equipment and your Youtube channel’s content sponsored (by a company called “Peeker”-- I’m serious) makes the whole process seem all the more ‘legit’ and non-intrusive.
“Everybody has a story, so if i’m able to get enough information, I capture it in a photograph.”
It’s a challenge determining whether that’s just a really corny sentence, or evidence of how much Ubergraphy means to the man, perhaps just a combination of both?
I’ll admit though, it’s noteworthy how he’s able to recall the story of every passenger from just a photograph. You can tell it’s purposeful to him with the way he recalls passenger stories in detail just by looking at his photographs.
“Everyone Is Beautiful”
I ask about an issue many taxi drivers have raised in conversation with me: ethnic communication stereotypes.
It’s common perception that Asian cultures in general emphasize the importance of being reserved, whilst foreigners to Singapore are perceived to be significantly extroverted.
Maverick is vehement that they’re mere fallacy, sharing that it eventually comes down to the way he carries himself and deals with situations, and that the most he’s dealt with are grumps from the occasional sulky customer.
He goes on to tell me about how he believes he’s just in exchange with a slew of 25 “beautiful people” a day, a line I’ve seen quoted in many of his other interviews, but an important one nevertheless; the essence of what helps him make the menial task of driving professionally sound so easy.
Even then, I don’t buy into him stating “nobody’s nasty”; but it’s conceivably a mindset he’s been forced to adopt through scathing experiences.
The Ubergrapher Universe (Movie Included!)
Maverick has many plans for what he names his “Ubergrapher Universe,” with right reason. He has an Uber action-comedy movie undergoing discussion, and he’s got his sights sets high, hoping it represents “Singapore’s Edition of The Hangover”, though, of course.
Inspired by a traveling rider, he’s enticed by the concept of an anecdotal and humourous plot following the mishappenings of a clueless traveller and his Uber driver. I guess what happens in an Uber doesn’t stay in an Uber…
He plans to develop the Ubergrapher into a platform that provides the opportunity for people to voice their issues with confidence, “rather than just a forum”.
Of all of his projects; one of which includes an unorthodox internet property startup (mid-development), The Ubergrapher is what Maverick describes to be “totally me”.
His celebrity status might become difficult to manage beyond the confines of a vehicle, and I start to see why anonymity is so important to Maverick. With business, boosts and implosions are equally possible .
A Road Best Travelled With Precaution
Maverick is an undeniable connoisseur of his trade, and though he’s in his thirties, meeting passengers of “all trades, all ages, (and) all countries”, leaves him an elderly equivalent of experience to impart.
As the Ubergrapher tells me about the power of positivity and how it’s his strongest suit, I still cannot discern how his attempts have been the roaring success that he makes them out to be.
And for the safety of humanity, I pray they aren’t. Whilst the Ubergrapher may be well-meaning, his anonymity makes it a walk in the park for copycats to use this for leverage against naive targets.
Some of the Ubergrapher’s videos are filmed closing the end of passengers’ trips, and backgrounds could give your locations away, so it’s best you exercise caution on this ride. If you’re faced with a stalker, a video like that is potentially haunting and fatal. Very plainly, it’s passenger responsibility.
Exceeding anything, his fame is a scary representation of how customers trust too readily within the safety nets of a business transaction.
As Maverick puts it, people have gotten so used to surveillance everywhere that surveillance crimes are just like terrorism.
“You know that it happens, but you just have to live through your day without thinking too much about it.”
Before Maverick and I share a strained parting handshake, he takes my photograph.
“Bright smile,” he says.
From a passenger’s seat, the nature of Maverick’s activities ooze awkwardness, but I adhere to the request anyways. I know not to trust strangers, but the magic of hearty conversation makes me a little less weary.
Maybe the Ubergrapher really does want to heal our troubled world with, what is quite possibly, the only way he knows how.
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