The passers-by who lingered to adjust a collar or smooth down unruly hair never knew that a photographer was on the other side of the two-way mirror, dressed in black clothes, a ski mask and gloves so his own reflection wouldn’t show up in the pictures he was taking. According to the photographer, Brad Farwell, the pedestrians he observed at four different Manhattan locations — the Bowery, Midtown, NoLIta and the Lower East Side — were much the same. But the time they spent looking at themselves differed, depending on the day. Sunday Downtown was a time for leisurely strolling and reflecting on what they saw in the mirror. On a weekday in Midtown, though, “the looks were the most unguarded, because they were so much quicker,” Farwell says. “The checking themselves out wasn’t about ego. It was more of an appraisal. They were sort of looking at themselves as they really were.”

People who gazed into the mirror: About 1 in 20

Photographs taken: 1,406

People who stopped to adjust their outfits: 6

People who stopped to fix their hair: 3

People who stopped to check their teeth: 1