New York Street Diaries: Phil Penman’s new black-and-white portraits show life in the Big Apple, from its dazzling skyline to its hustlers and derelicts
- Photographer Phil Penman’s new book New York Street Diaries gives a glimpse at the tranquil side of the city
- He captures streets and people to show the city’s ‘most sensitive moments’
- Penman, who was born in Dorset, has been taking pictures of the streets of NYY for more than two decades
Stunning portraits showcase the softer side of the Big Apple, with incredible images illustrating raw and remarkable moments from across New York.
Photographer Phil Penman took to the city’s streets each day between 2019 and 2023 and captured a series of sensitive moments as the world stood still during the pandemic.
His moving black-and-white pictures, published in his new book New York Street Diaries, give a glimpse at the calm and tranquil side of the city during lockdown.
For more than three decades, Penman, who was born in Dorset, has been working as a professional photographer, boasting an extensive catalog, including his spellbinding images of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez or Bill Gates.
Penman says he quickly grasped how important it was to document what was happening inside one of the world’s greatest cities at such a sensitive time.
When tragedy struck New York on 11 September 2001, Penman was there with his camera documenting history as the terrifying scenes unraveled before his eyes.
‘The Covid 19 pandemic was no different,’ Penman told DailyMail.com. ‘I knew that we were going through a life changing event.
‘For me, my life as it was, started and ended on September 11th. I feel for a lot of us, it was the same during COVID 19.
‘We were going through something the world had not seen for a long time. Hopefully something we will never have to bear witness to again.’
Each day he would head out early in the morning until late at night trying to take as many pictures as he could.
He says the pandemic taught him ‘just how much we all need each other’.
‘I would go out capturing the streets as I saw them. Gone was the hustle and bustle of the streets. Instead, we would see seagulls on 8th Avenue, or hear birds chirping, and the sounds of ambulance sirens in the background. Another loved one that had been taken away from us by the horrific Covid 19 virus.
‘Out of the shadows had come the homeless population. These were the people I would chat with day to day. No longer were they asking for money, but instead a mask or some food. Long had they relied on the food left out the back of the restaurants. This sadly no longer existed due to the restaurants being closed.
‘I remember walking one day down Broadway. I saw someone’s home being thrown into the back of a sanitation truck. Next to the truck stood the owner, a man wearing a jacket, that said “F**k Everything”.
‘I went up to this man and asked if I could photograph the jacket. He replied “Where are you from?” I said “England”.
‘It turned out that we had grown up about 10 miles away from each other in the county of Dorset. Now we found each other in the middle of a pandemic lockdown chatting on the streets of New York.
‘It’s been rewarding to receive all the great message from people all around the world who have bought the book and how it means so much to them that this time period was captured.’
