New York City Street Photography: New Yorkers

Throughout the decades, many photographers produced excellent works documenting New Yorkers and the New Yorker life. Ernst Haas, Melissa O’Shaughnessy , Vivian Maier and Robert Herman are the first ones that come to mind. In recent years an Instagram account grew in popularity so much that it eventually turned into a book titled Humans of New York, and sold millions of copies. (All highly recommended)

The attraction makes sense, though. New York is one of the most diverse places on earth, a photographer’s dream, and New Yorkers are equally as colorful. Anthropologically speaking, an exciting case study in diversity at the very least.

Race, religion, and cultural differences make the city multi-layered and richer. Millions of New Yorkers embrace diversity for the most part and manage to co-exist on a tiny piece of land. This unique situation allows us to meet people from many other countries and learn about the world without traveling away from NYC.

Who is a New Yorker anyway?

We are happy to announce that we are hopping on the “documenting the New Yorker” train as well. Through photography, we’ll further investigate the question “Who is a New Yorker?” This series will get richer by the day, and we’ll see where it goes in the future. Take this post as a starter, part 1, if you will.

The beautiful photographs in this post come from Ohad Kab, our contributing photographer. He connects New Yorkers to the city and gives clues about who they are in a single frame. Ohad being an immigrant adds another layer to his great work. His previous post on NYL, “Dogs of New York” was wildly popular! You can follow Ohad Kab on Instagram.

If you would like to hear other stories from the city’s residents, we highly suggest picking up Humans of NY’s latest book, Humans of New York: Stories. If that’s not quite your vibe, there’s a great film with an all-star cast that exhibits similar, although fictionalized, stories from New York City residents called New York, I Love You, which you can also stream on Prime.

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New York City Street Photography: Dogs

dogs of New York City

I searched “dogs new york” on Amazon for Christmas gifts for a friend with two dogs, and I was blown away by the variety and the coolness of options! From sports jerseys to books, treats to squeakers, choices were endless. I bought two adorable plush toys; one is a New York MetroCard, and the other is an NYC yellow cab. They are so cute that I want my kids to have the same designs in their beds, only in bigger sizes.

New York City has 8.5 million people and more than 600,000 dogs. Dogs are as big a part of the social fabric in the Big Apple as their human counterparts. They ride the subway, jog along with their owners in Central Park, walk down the 5th Avenue all dolled up, and sometimes sleep rough on a bench with their humans. Even if you are not a dog person, you get to learn about Shiba Inus, Alaskan Klee Kais, and Chinooks; they are just all around you! There is even a book called Canines of New York! (it’s like Humans of New York, highly recommended if dogs and NY are in your favorite words)

The brilliant photos showing dogs and their New Yorkers in this post are by Ohad Kab, a New York City-based photojournalist and a dear friend of The New Yorker Life. He is a dog owner too. Unfortunately, he recently suffered a dog bite in the lip while petting one of the little monsters in an NYC park. He’s much better after a few weeks and some stitches, luckily.

Please enjoy the beautiful photos by Ohad Kab and follow him on Instagram. He is walking the streets of New York and working on different projects, which we will share on NYL soon. Sign up for our newsletter for occasional updates from us.

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Christmas Time in New York by Ohad Kab

NYC by Ohad Kab

Israeli photographer Ohad Kab walks the streets of New York City, documenting The New Yorker Life.

Being a modern-day street photographer in New York is no easy task. Not only does one compete with the wealth of current photographers, but there are the legendary greats who produced incredible work for many decades.

But Ohad succeeds in creating unique and timeless photographs that are unmistakably New York. He does it by focusing on individuals and framing his shots expertly. Each photo makes you think: “this person could be a movie character.” In the process, he shows us how diverse and colorful New York is.

For years I dreamed of this moment; Christmas time, I’m standing on Fifth Avenue, the heart of the World Consumer Culture Center, the land of brands and plastic in the busiest time of the year. I observe the diverse and fascinating people who paint this city so colorful. These photographs will go with me for the rest of my life.

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