I was back in New York earlier this month, a city which is easily among my favourite places in the world to shoot.

New York is arguably the most famous city for street photography, and many of the genre’s greatest photographers, past and present, have spent years documenting its streets. While the city has changed over the years, with its grittier side gradually being replaced by cleaner, modern glass buildings, it’s still one of the best cities in the world for street photography.

The biggest difference between shooting in New York and London is the pace. New York is in constant motion, and there always seems to be something interesting happening. London, by comparison, moves at a much slower tempo. People are generally more reserved and, I’d argue, dress a little less creatively too. New York actually reminds me quite a lot of Istanbul. The streets are full of texture, energy, and interesting characters.

Of course, part of that comes from the excitement of shooting somewhere new. Any city or new location feels more inspiring when you’re visiting rather than living there. But New York genuinely offers endless photographic opportunities.

I also think it’s a city that rewards reactive photographers. So much happens around you that you often don’t have time to overthink a composition. Instead, I find myself trusting my instincts and capturing whatever catches my eye in the moment.

I also happened to visit during the New York Knicks’ run to the NBA Championship, which gave the city an incredible atmosphere. One evening, I came across a fire station projecting the game onto the side of a building, with a crowd gathered outside watching together. While my basketball knowledge is fairly limited, from what I understand the Knicks hadn’t had a season like this in a long time, so it felt like a pretty special moment to witness.

In total, I spent four full days in New York and came away with far more photographs than I expected. Looking back through them this week, it reminded me why I keep returning to the city. It’s one of those places where simply walking around with a camera is enough. Eventually, something interesting always happens.

I also made a YouTube video documenting my time in New York and some of the photographs I captured. If you’d like to see more from the trip, you can watch it below.