NEW YORK: FIRST LIGHT

New York: First Light was made near the beginning of my photography journey. I walked through the city with a camera I was still learning to use, drawn to the pace of the streets and the way light could transform an ordinary corner. I didn’t have a plan for a series. I followed what caught my attention and tried to understand why I wanted to photograph it.

I made decisions quickly, sometimes before I fully understood what I had seen. Looking back at the photographs helped me recognise the subjects and moments I would continue to seek out.

I was uncertain of a lot of things at the time, but being out with a camera gave me something clear to do: walk, look and respond. Photography helped me feel more present in a place that was entirely new to me. It also gave me an early sense that making images could become a way to understand my own experience.

New York: First Light records the start of that process. The photographs show a city I was discovering and a photographer beginning to find his eye.