Photo series shows what life would be like with our smart devices removed

It seems these days we are so connected to people and situations so far from us, yet we are so distant from the people who are right next to us.

So, what would the world look like if our phones were removed?

A new photo series from North Carolina based photographer Eric Pickersgill shows just that.

Pickersgill put together the series after he looked around and saw the people around him simultaneously connected, yet disconnected.

His now viral collection of photos called "removed" started with an image from his own home.

He didn't photoshop away the devices, he physically removed them before taking the photographs.

Pickersgill says the missing phone almost became what he calls a phantom limb.

"What does it mean for us as a species essentially that we're living outside of ourselves or attaching these external things to our bodies and it's only going to shift the way we experience the world and relate to each other," Pickersgill says.

He hopes it makes you think about your relationship with your phone, and with the people in your life.

To check out the full series of photos, visit www.removed.social