In January 1888, Riis bought a detective camera and went on an expedition to gather images of what life was like in the slums of New York City. This both included Riis taking his own photos as well as him using the images of other photographers. Finally, on January 28, 1888, Riis presented "The Other Half: How It Lives and Dies in New York" using his images on a projection screen and taking the viewer on a journey by describing the images. Throughout 1888, Riis continued his lectures in local New York City churches, which were reviewed in several newspapers including "New York Sun", "Brooklyn Times", "New York Evening Post", and "Harper's".