Street Photography

MPS Digital Photography presents a talk with street photographer Phil Penman. In his new book Street Scenes, Penman pays homage to the world's vibrant metropolises—from the shimmering lights of New York to the enchanted alleyways of Paris and the dynamic streets of Tokyo. Each of his images is a window into the emotional moments and impressive facets of urban life, masterfully captured through his lens.

Phil Penman has a gift for transforming the everyday into the extraordinary—his photographs are far more than just visual works of art; they are narratives about the diversity, vibrant life, and complex existence of urban spaces. Penman's work is an invitation to see the complexity and beauty of urban landscapes with new eyes. The photographer shows us dynamic scenes that capture vibrant life, as well as quiet moments that inspire pause and reflect the soul of cities.

A Q&A will follow, as well as a book signing. 

DETAILS FOR EVENT

School of Visual Arts

Room 311, 209 East 23rd Street, Room 311, New York, NY 10010

 January 29th at 7.30 - 8.45pm

Register for Talk Here

2025 was a monumental year for me, with workshops taking place in Tokyo, Paris, Lisbon, London, Zurich, Geneva, Vienna, and many other cities around the world. I was also honored to participate in the 100th-anniversary celebration of Leica in Wetzlar, Germany.

The year began with my “96 Hours in Biel-Bienne” solo exhibition, a wonderful collaboration with Leica, WhiteWall, Bieler Foto, and REBL SPACE.

2026 is shaping up to be just as busy, with solo exhibitions planned for New York, Porto, Mexico City, Sydney, Melbourne, and Milan. I am also thrilled to be part of “New York Visionaries” alongside Meryl Meisler and Louis Stettner. With two new books in the works and workshops scheduled globally, I am looking forward to meeting everyone. I wish you all a Happy New Year and continued success in whatever brings you joy.

For now I wanted to share with you some of my favorite moments from 2025.

You can View the Gallery here

I was truly honored to be back in Tokyo again. What started as an opportunity a few years ago has now resulted in my fourth trip in three years. We just concluded our fourth workshop together, which began with my first one taught alongside Ricky Huerta from the Leica Street Photography Collective.

Due to overwhelming demand, we successfully ran two workshops this year, and we will be back again next year!

Stay tuned for images from this year's trip to Tokyo!

I'm happy to announce that signed copies of my latest book, "Phil Penman - Street Scenes," are now available for purchase at the prestigious Leica Store in New York City!

You can find the store nestled in the heart of the Meatpacking District at:

The best thing about street photography is the cool people I get to meet. This recent portrait from Paris was a highlight. I admire anyone that takes the time and effort to look good, and I love a unique style.

I shot this with my new "King of Bokeh" Leica lens and added some grain in post-processing as well.

A Big Thank You!

A huge thank you to everyone who attended my Street Photography Masterclass in Paris!

It was a true pleasure to meet all of you and witness your passion and unique perspectives as we explored the streets of this incredible city. I hope you found the class inspiring and that you came away with new skills and confidence in your craft.

I genuinely look forward to crossing paths with you somewhere else in the world—perhaps at another workshop or simply shooting side-by-side!

Best wishes on your photography journeys. Keep creating, keep exploring, and keep telling those incredible stories!

It has been a while since I last got to update the blog, but I finally have a story worth telling!

Recently, I had the great pleasure of being on the road for Leica in Tokyo to promote the all-new Leica M EV1 Camera. This launch is a significant moment for the M system, and I was thrilled to put it through its paces during an intense portrait shoot.

I had the opportunity to photograph the incredible rocker Johnny Daigo. Johnny is someone I’ve been following for over a year now. He’s the driving force behind the band Johnny Pandora and is known across Japan for his unique, high-energy style of “Samurai Rock'n Roll,” a fusion of rockabilly, punk, and traditional Japanese aesthetics. Shooting with him gave us the perfect subject to test the limits of Leica’s most modern M body.

Every year, typically for a precious week in mid-October , a magnificent event occurs: the setting sun aligns perfectly with the eastern-facing windows of Grand Central Terminal's main concourse. This phenomenon, which I eagerly anticipate, bathes the entire hall in a dramatic, incandescent glow, transforming the vast space into a temporary, golden cathedral.

It offers an unparalleled opportunity for photographers to capture a truly iconic image of this architectural masterpiece. 

The window of opportunity is incredibly brief, often lasting only 30 minutes or less, making the event a thrilling, high-stakes challenge. The critical factor, of course, is the weather; a single overcast day means months of waiting for the sun's position to realign.

I was determined to make the most of this year's alignment. Here is one of my latest efforts, where I experimented with slower shutter speed techniques. The goal was to contrast the timeless, monumental granite architecture with the hurried blur of commuters, allowing the flow of human movement to become a ghost-like abstraction within the enduring golden light. I hope the results capture the ephemeral magic of that moment.

If you've ever been outside the Connaught hotel in Mayfair, London, you know the drill. For a brief second, a burst of steam kicks out of the water pool in the main courtyard where all the luxury cars park.

It makes for a great photo—a genuinely striking shot—but it lasts only a few seconds. The challenge is trying to perfectly time a person walking past in front of the rising vapor. It sounds simple, but trust me, it's not.

The steam only releases every 15 minutes, so if you miss the window, you have a long wait and a lot of hoping that a pedestrian's pace will align with the fountain's schedule. I call it great fishing practice; it certainly teaches you patience!

For a brief second, you sometimes get stopped in your tracks. This is exactly what happened while out teaching a workshop one night. I turned around and saw a dog literally staring in a window at a toy dog. The classic phrase, 'How much is that doggie in the window?' instantly came to mind.

I quickly grabbed my camera and took this shot, knowing very well it would be gone in a second.