Vintage New York City

New York is my hometown, I started photographing it from the moment I picked up my first camera at the age of twelve. When you grow up in a place, especially a city like New York, you will see it change. You hope for the best, but many times so much of what made a place great, what made it unique and special, disappears. If you know the history of New York, you know change is inevitable, it’s just the way it is

Sometimes New York is a B&W town, sometimes it is a colorful town. I love New York in Black & White, it makes it feel more timeless yet more bygone, grittier yet dreamlike. A city of contradictions and beauty, forever in my memories. When New York really wants to show off, it does so in color. The night sky and skyline, harbor sunsets, neon signs, and fall colors all bring the city to life like no other city in the world

I offer both for your enjoyment.

I will be offering an automated print-purchasing option, but for now please use the Order a Print button on each page to contact me for purchasing, licensing, or just questions.

1940s

In 1947 and 1948, my father Luke Bennett, newly arrived to this country, explored and photographed New York City with a medium-format camera and a 35mm camera, capturing the city’s scenes and landmarks.

1980s

The decade of the 1980s in New York feels to many like the end of an era. New York survived the 1970s but was not yet the gentrified city we know today. It was still gritty. It was still a city of neighborhoods that had a distinct character, with Mom and Pop shops, and a local flavor to its cafes and restaurants. There were empty lots and dilapidated buildings, not every square inch needed to be used for something. To life long New Yorkers, it still resembled and felt like the city they grew up in.

1990s