MICHAEL WOLF: A ride in hell? An up-close look at real life in megacities

“It’s horrific” says photographer Michael Wolf, describing scenes from his “Tokyo Compression” photo series. The images – nameless faces pressed up against windows, their expressions frozen in visible discomfort, the glass around them wet with condensation – are snapshots of everyday commuter life for many of Tokyo’s residents.

Wolf, who lives in Hong Kong, often uses photography to critique the harsh living conditions of large cosmopolitan cities.

Chicago, Paris and Hong Kong have all fallen under his lens, which often dips below dazzling urban skylines to explore the real city beneath.