Two taxis illuminated by sun beaming through shadows cast by skyscrapers in Midtown New York.

I started photographing nearly nine years ago, learning by experimenting as I wandered New York City each weekend. Everything was new and progress came quickly. Over time, my technical control of the camera became second nature, and I consistently created “pretty” photos that appealed to many people. While the positive feedback felt encouraging, my growth had stalled. The challenge became shaping a perspective that felt genuinely mine, standing apart from the countless photos we encounter daily.

The last couple of years brought a shift in my approach. I realized I had often been creating images with others in mind, aiming for what I thought they would connect with. As my mindset shifted toward photographing for myself, my no-longer-casual hobby became more satisfying. I started searching for perspectives that were unconventional or abstract—reflecting my own creative vision—and a clearer sense of my style began to take shape.

Here are a few moments from 2025 that stand out to me, and what I was thinking along the way.

FiDi Snowstorm

Steam rising from a street vent, lit by yellow and blue lights on a snowy New York City night.

I’m never more eager to grab my camera than when it snows. It transforms even the most ordinary street corners into something completely new. Thankfully, this February snowfall came on a weekend night, allowing me to wander the Financial District until 1 AM, with few people around.

Reflections of a delivery cyclist moving through snow on a dark city street.

A couple kissing beneath a streetlamp during a snowy night in New York City.

Friends having snowball fight on a snow-covered Wall Street at night.

A delivery cyclist riding through falling snow on a dark New York City street at night.

A city worker standing beside a steaming vehicle on a snow-covered New York City street at night.

Night Shift in Gotham

I was shooting an empty street when a Con Edison van parked in front of me. Thinking my shot was ruined, the worker called out, “If you like that, get ready for this.” He lifted a manhole cover with a crowbar, releasing a burst of steam that made the scene look straight out of a Batman comic book.

Las Vegas,

Between Meetings

A child sitting on someone’s shoulders as a woman photographs the Bellagio fountains at night.

In April, I was in Las Vegas for a work trip that filled my days but left my nights open. While most people spend their downtime at the blackjack table or a show, I chose a different route. On back-to-back nights, I walked the Strip, taking in the street performers, liquored tourists, and flashing signs. It was the perfect backdrop to photograph, with an energy that felt familiar to New York.

Blurred headlights and neon lights stretching across a Las Vegas street as pedestrians cross.

Street performers gathered beneath red neon lights on a crowded Las Vegas sidewalk.

Long-exposure motion blur of neon lights spinning along the Las Vegas Strip at night.

Sin City Spins

When I returned, I showed my wife Brooke this photo. Her reaction was, “Were you on drugs when you took this?” It was a joke, but she clearly didn’t care for it. I was upset at first, then saw the positive: not everyone may appreciate it, but I had created something unique. To reflect the chaos of Vegas, I cranked my camera mid-shot like a steering wheel, creating a spinning blur.

Central Park across the Seasons

Central Park is by far my most photographed location, thanks to my dog, Chase. Having a dog in the city means you can’t just open a back door and let them out. You walk every day, no matter the weather. But living just off the park makes that routine feel far from a chore. We start each morning with a 45-minute walk through the park, where dogs can roam off-leash before 9 AM. He’s in his element running around, greeting other dogs, and chasing squirrels. Every photo here was taken on those walks, with Chase alongside me, keeping pace as we logged hundreds of miles and thousands of photographs across the seasons.

Purple spring blossoms surrounding a person with an umbrella near a bridge in Central Park.

A glowing lamppost surrounded by blooming spring trees.

Blooming trees reflected in still water on a spring day, with the New York City skyline in the background.

A curved park bench surrounded by green foliage in Central Park.

Water sprinklers spraying across a lawn in Central Park with the Manhattan skyline behind.

Skyline Spray

I was searching for a fresh take on the Midtown skyline, so I crouched below a rotating sprinkler to capture the feeling of summer. Each time it swung back around, I had to jump aside. Chase was confused at first, then decided it was a game and kept leaping through the spray, getting soaked.

People standing beneath autumn trees in Central Park with the Midtown Manhattan skyline in the background.

A goose swimming in Central Park with a soft reflection of Bow Bridge during fall.

A woman walking her dog through Central Park in autumn, framed by symmetrical stone bridge openings.

Symmetry in Motion

I’ve walked this famous stretch time and again but rarely take the shot because it’s widely photographed. From a nearby bridge I found a new angle using the cutouts as a frame, lined up the lampposts, and waited for the dog and owner to complete the symmetry.

Snow-covered Central Park during a winter storm, with the Manhattan skyline fading into the distance.

Evening Wanderings

Long-exposure blur of people walking past storefronts in SoHo at dusk.

I’m not a particularly spontaneous person, except when I photograph, which usually leads to my best work. Each weekend I choose a neighborhood based on gut feeling as I’m heading out the door. I prefer to start a couple of hours before sunset to catch three distinct phases of light: late afternoon warmth, soft tones of sunset, and dim blue light leading into night. When I step out of the subway, I wander whichever direction looks most interesting and take it one block at a time, letting the evening light guide the rest.

Soho

Flatiron Building

Sunlight reflecting in a puddle on a manhole cover as a group of women walk past.

Bushwick

Red Hook

Pedestrians crossing a New York City street at night, with blurred headlights and streetlights streaking through the scene.

Chelsea

Silhouetted figure moving through street steam on a New York City sidewalk at night.

Upper West Side

Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center framed by leaves on a summer night in Brooklyn.

Dumbo

Milan & The Italian Lakes

Pigeons taking flight in front of Milan’s Duomo during early morning light.

In September, Brooke and I took a weeklong trip to Italy, starting in Milan and then heading north to the quieter Lake Como and Maggiore. To keep myself from slipping into photography “tunnel vision” during our days together, I’ve made it a habit on vacations to wake up at sunrise and go out alone. It lets me sink in and explore a place while it is still waking up. Milan felt like an extension of the urban scenes I shoot in New York, while the lakes offered scenic landscapes outside my typical focus, which was a refreshing contrast.

Architectural details of Milan’s Duomo highlighted by low sunlight and long shadows.

Reflection of Milan’s Duomo in a newsstand window, with the metro sign visible above.

Newsstand Reflection

The Duomo is Milan’s most recognizable landmark, so I looked for something beyond the obvious head-on shot. I turned away and found its reflection in a newsstand window filled with magazines, the metro’s red M visible at the top of the frame. I waited for a commuter to emerge from the station, adding a final human element to complete the frame.

A couple standing at an aperitivo bar in Milan, reflected in a glossy table beneath red neon lights.

Neon lights glowing above a woman walking alone through a Milan street at night.

Colorful buildings along the Menaggio waterfront seen through a boat railing on Lake Como.

Green plants framing a view of Lake Orta, Italy, and its island, with mountains rising in the distance.

A sailboat resting on calm water in Lake Como, Italy, reflected against mountains and a wide blue sky.

Surface Level

Paddling a kayak straight from our rental house on Lake Como, it felt surreal to sit on the calm water. Lowering my camera just above the surface, I caught the panoramic reflection and made the sailboat appear larger-than-life.

From the Archives

Each year I take far more photos than I can process, so I’m always discovering overlooked images from the past. Here are a few from the archives.

Pedestrians walking past a hot dog stand in Times Square as sunlight cuts through the street.

A woman crossing a city street at night, illuminated by streetlights and casting long shadows.

Two people walking along a path in Green-Wood Cemetery surrounded by autumn foliage.

Reflection of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline mirrored in still water at night.

Two skateboarders riding beneath an elevated subway in Williamsburg, Brooklyn during golden hour.

Cyclist silhouetted against street steam rising from a manhole in New York City.

Couple walking together through fall foliage in Riverside Park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Continue With Me

in the New Year

Ongoing work on Instagram:

@ncunningham.photography

2025:

The Annual Collection