Young Adults In New York City

Edge of Humanity Magazine

2 years ago

Photographer Amy Horowitz is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography. From the project ‘Don’t Smile NYC’. To see Amy’s body of work, click on any photograph.

Through the portraits I make of young adults in Washington Square Park and the West Village of New York City, I am exploring the multiplicity of identities my subjects take on as they transition into adulthood. They bare and present themselves, telling their truth in the moment, and what could be more beautiful?

As human beings, we are transitioning all the time. With each choice we make, our identities take on new shapes in the form of self -expression through words and dress, expectations, actions, and thoughts. The beauty of these young adults is in their self-expression.

What ultimately propels me to ask, “Can I take your portrait?” is a warmth I sense, emanating from the sitter…something soft underneath the shell. By taking these portraits I get inside, even if only for a short while.

With the camera’s lens serving as a conduit, I’ve found how quickly a connection can be formed between two strangers. So, when I begin shooting, I direct people by saying, “Okay, look in my eyes, and whatever you do, don’t smile.”

Bio

Amy Horowitz is a freelance photographer based in New York City. She studied photography at The International Center for Photography. Amy’s work was featured in The Women Street Photographers Exhibition in New York City, organized by Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova in 2022 and 2023.

Her work has been featured in two exhibitions, “Humans” and “New York State of Mind,” at The Streetsoup Gallery in Milan. Her work will also be on display in Rome this summer at the annual Lungo Il Tevere festival along the Tiber River. A selection of Amy’s “Don’t Smile” images will also be on display at FotoNostrum, Mediterranean House of Photography, in Barcelona in December 2024. 

Currently, Amy is continuing to produce work for her “Don’t Smile” project, which documents young people on the cusp of adulthood in Washington Square Park and the West Village of New York City, one of the most culturally diverse areas in the nation. This work explores the multiplicity of identities her subjects take on as they transition into adulthood. It also celebrates individuality, and freedom of self-expression.

All images and text © Amy Horowitz