Phil Penman is one of the finest Street Photographers working today.
It is not hyperbole to compare Phil Penman to the legendary Henri Cartier Bresson. Penman is a legend in the making. In his street images of Gotham, he perfectly captures New York’s grittiness, its quirks and charm, tragedy and humor; each image almost a snowglobe that represents the City entire.
In New York City, where the sidewalks cooperate with photographers by being 18% grey, this is a town that lends itself to photography. As a result street photography is a popular topic here. But street photography, great street photography, is not as simple as it looks. It requires a particular kind photographic athlete, with a visual quickness that we all strive for but few truly master. Phil Penman is one of those few.
In this conversation with Tom Ashe, Penman will join us to discuss his work and his new book New York Street Diaries 2020-2023. A Q&A will follow, as well as a book signing.
••• OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: Registration required
••• This event will be held in-person at the SVA Amphitheater, 209 East 23rd Street, Room 311
The British-born, New York-based photographer Phil Penman has documented the ever-changing scene of New York City’s streets for more than 25 years. In his career as
a news and magazine photographer, with a large body of work in such publications
as e Guardian, e Independent, e New York Review of Books, among others, he has photographed major public gures and historical events. In particular, his report- age following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center has featured on NBC’s Today show, as well as on the BBC, History Channel, and Al Jazeera, and his images have been included in the 9/11 Memorial and Museum’s archives.
His work covering the pandemic lockdown in New York City has been acquired by the U.S. Library of Congress, whose collection holds work by such great Depression-era documentarians as Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange.
Besides showing at Leica galleries in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and London, Penman’s signature street photography has appeared in international exhibitions as far a eld as Venice, Berlin, and Sydney.
He also tours the world teaching workshops on photography for Leica Akademie. He was recently named among the “52 Most In uential Street Photographers,” alongside such legends as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastião Salgado, Diane Arbus, and Garry Winogrand.
Penman’s first book, Street, published in 2019, became a best-seller and was featured at the Museum of Modern Art in New York
Interviewer Bio: Tom Ashe:
Tom P. Ashe is a photographer, educator, consultant, author of Focal Press’s Color Management & Quality Output, and the chair of the Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Digital Photography program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City, where he has been teaching photography, color management, and digital printmaking for over twenty years. His personal photography and research explore family history, immigration, and LGBTQ pride. (Tom Ashe headshot by Nir Arieli)
