Photographing the Late Night Ritual of Watching TV Alone

In a new series, Sarah Pannell captures her friends at their most intimate: in bed, watching their favourite shows.

by VICE Staff

December 18, 2017, 5:04am

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Melbourne-based photographer Sarah Pannell is just like the rest of us: trying to figure out whether her streaming addiction is the best or worst thing ever. She and her friends are addicted to watching shows on laptops and iPads, often while lying quietly in bed by themselves after a tiring day at work or uni.

In this series, she documents the fascinating introversion of this ritual. The soft ambient lighting of a Macbook, the comfort of resting your head on a pillow pile and watching something that compels you to move on to the next episode immediately.

When it comes to photography, Pannell is actually mostly an outdoor kid. She’s used to taking her camera to the streets of far-off places—she’s got a photo book coming out about Iran, and is heading to Egypt in February. But with this series, she found herself fascinated by the habits of home.

“It’s such a familiar scene—someone being completely immersed in television or a film. I've always enjoying documenting seemingly mundane situations outside on the street, so doing it in the privacy of someone’s bedroom or lounge room isn't actually so different.”