By Megan Reed
Lisa Saltzman photography pursues the essence of humanity within the bustling metropolis of New York City. Through her lens, we see blurred figures captured mid-stride and shadows descending to subway platforms.
Sharp contrasts define her work. She plays with black and white, lightness and darkness. Although faces remain indecipherable, the human figures animate an unmistakably urban scene. Ultimately, the cumulative effect of her work provides a remarkably equitable view of what it means to co-exist. It shows how quickly differences disappear when viewed without vivid detail.
A Native New Yorker’s Perspective
Saltzman is the consummate native New Yorker. Born and raised in the city, she remains dedicated to the place that influences her so deeply. She describes a childhood on Manhattan’s Upper East Side defined by art “right out of the womb.”
Because her parents were avid collectors, they dragged her to museums and galleries every weekend. They filled every inch of their apartment with art, particularly sculpture. For Saltzman, art shaped her outlook. In many ways, it provided her with a native tongue to navigate and make sense of the city she holds so dear.
Sculpting with Light and Shadow
Indeed, her work evokes a specific memory for anyone who has visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Sculpture Garden. There, light pours in from high windows, casting frozen figures into mysterious relief.
Similarly, Saltzman’s photographed figures take on a decidedly sculptural quality. Often, artists create to memorialize a beloved figure or capture the essence of a soul. However, Saltzman presents us with the mystery of existence. Without direct knowledge of the subject, the viewer must fill in the details.
The “City Anonymity” Series
Saltzman seeks to capture the “rawness” of humanity. She observes the brisk interaction of millions of humans every day on the small, raw island of Manhattan. Asserting that her work records a moment, she captures a stranger’s essence as she passes them by.
Specifically, the poses are spontaneous. Lisa Saltzman photography relies on instinct alone. Moreover, she never retouches the images. To her, the beauty lies in this rawness. She insists she is not interested in “correcting” things.
For her City Anonymity™ series, she became fascinated with the quality of light in a particular neighborhood. Consequently, she began to revisit the same block. She studied it at different moments, recording both the stillness and the momentum within it. To give herself unlimited range, she shoots all images digitally; the camera is always loaded and ready.
Finding Humanity in the Blur
In many ways, Saltzman’s photos take us on her personal journey through New York. We see what she saw the moment her finger hit the shutter. She makes manifest the memory of walking down Fifth Avenue or through Central Park.
Saltzman puts it this way: “Things are a blur all around–you don’t really internalize the specifics unless it’s really odd or outlandish.”
Therefore, her images force us to pause. We see things that we otherwise might tune out. New York City serves as a symbol of the teeming melting pot where cultures coexist. Saltzman, its own daughter, knows this well.
By pausing, the camera reveals surprising things. In this way, Saltzman asks us to really see. To look more closely. Above all, she asks us to be present in the physical moment without distraction.
