Kevin Brusie, Latte on 7th Ave #1, 2013, Archival Inkjet, 13.5x20.5 inches

As a New Yorker living in self imposed exile in Maine, I still love my return visits. In August of 2013, I was in Manhattan for an assignment. Wrapping late in the morning, I stashed my gear, grabbed one camera and one lens, and set off to see an exhibit at MOMA. Walking the streets from Hell’s Kitchen to MOMA, I wanted to capture the energy that is everywhere in NYC, yet find the stillness that I feel when within it. I settled on photographing handheld, at an extremely small aperture (f/22) and low ISO (100). The goal was no camera movement as the world rushed by before me. The last two are photographs of commuters heading back to Penn Station on 7th Ave from a window seat in a Starbucks. For these I panned the camera with the passing subjects, isolating their movement in the environment. In the mayhem of NYC, no one noticed, or cared, that I was “looking at you.”

— K.B.

Kevin Brusie is a commercial photographer and video producer based in Maine, though he spent the first half of his life in NYC. His professional work is currently summarized with the phrase “Photographing Suits and Lab Coats in their Natural Habitat”, as his client base is mostly in medical, biotech, and finance, ranging from small local businesses to Fortune 500 firms around the country. Having worked for over 35 years as a professional, he is filled with gratitude for being graced with the opportunity to make a living with his cameras. Kevin is a 30+ year member of ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) and currently serves as the National Board Chair of ASMP.