The Street Photographer
Time|February 18 - 25, 2019

A superintendent at a building in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood where he has worked for 25 years, CLAY BENSKIN started taking photographs on his iPhone just a few years ago. His efforts to capture an ever-changing city—without any formal training—are a reminder that photography is perhaps the ultimate democratic art form.

Alex Fitzpatrick
The Street Photographer
LIFE IS FULL OF BEAUTIFUL little moments, if you take the time to look. And looking is Benskin’s specialty. Wandering New York City with camera in hand, Benskin captures scenes that would otherwise disappear: unusual characters, kids playing outside, lovers sharing a romantic moment in public. “I just enjoy people,” the 48-year-old says. “Everything fascinates me.”

The building supervisor started shooting almost daily about six years ago, at first on his iPhone, after joshing a photographer tenant that he could take better pictures with his iPhone than the professional could. Benskin has himself moved to a “real” camera, a Fuji X100F, but as any decent street photographer will tell you, it’s not about the gear—it’s about the eye.

This story is from the February 18 - 25, 2019 edition of Time.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the February 18 - 25, 2019 edition of Time.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM TIMEView All
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is reimagining the Olympics
Time

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is reimagining the Olympics

When Paris kicks off the Olympic Games on July 26, it will be with athletes floating on an armada of boats down the Seine River, rather than marching in a stadium as it has always been.

time-read
5 mins  |
May 13, 2024
TIME 100 HEALTH-TITANS
Time

TIME 100 HEALTH-TITANS

Last May, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory about the profound consequences of loneliness and isolation-a departure from the type of standard medical conditions his predecessors prioritized.

time-read
6 mins  |
May 13, 2024
TIME 100 HEALTH-CATALYSTS
Time

TIME 100 HEALTH-CATALYSTS

It's been a long time since there was good news about Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative condition that affects more than 8 million people worldwide.

time-read
6 mins  |
May 13, 2024
TIME 100 HEALTH-LEADERS
Time

TIME 100 HEALTH-LEADERS

'Catastrophic.' -BASHAR MURAD ON THE HEALTH SITUATION IN GAZA

time-read
6 mins  |
May 13, 2024
TIME 100 HEALTH-PIONEERS
Time

TIME 100 HEALTH-PIONEERS

In the wake of the pandemic, a new era emerges-marked by fresh discoveries, novel treatments, and global victories over disease. These are the most influential people in health in 2024

time-read
6 mins  |
May 13, 2024
A Man in Full, adapted and redacted
Time

A Man in Full, adapted and redacted

TOM WOLFE'S A MAN IN FULL IS A MASSIVE BOOK, IN MORE ways than one. The 742-page social novel about a swaggering Atlanta real estate mogul, which took Wolfe over a decade to write, sold a jaw-dropping 1.4 million hardcover copies after its publication in 1998. The book's themes-money, power, race, masculinity--are just as grand.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 13, 2024
The golden age of Ryan Gosling is upon us
Time

The golden age of Ryan Gosling is upon us

IN DEREK CIANFRANCE'S 2010 LOVE-ON-THErocks heartbreaker Blue Valentine, Ryan Gosling plays a husband and father, Dean, who appears to be nothing but an annoyance to his wife, Michelle Williams' Cindy, a harried nurse.

time-read
5 mins  |
May 13, 2024
A MARRIAGE OF FOOD AND FICTION
Time

A MARRIAGE OF FOOD AND FICTION

In the kitchen with Rachel Khong, author of Real Americans

time-read
6 mins  |
May 13, 2024
Greek Revival
Time

Greek Revival

PRIME MINISTER KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS IS DETERMINED TO MAKE GREECE THE COMEBACK STORY OF THE DECADE

time-read
9 mins  |
May 13, 2024
HOLDING COURT
Time

HOLDING COURT

AT 20, DEFENDING U.S. OPEN CHAMPION COCO GAUFF IS MOVING INTO A NEW PHASE OF HER CAREER

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 13, 2024