Daniel Featherstone’s crisp images of the eccentric characters of New York

While street photography is nothing new, there’s something oddly compelling about photographer Daniel Featherstone’s portraits of New York passers-by. From the naturally weathered to the surgically enhanced, Daniel presents a snapshot of New York’s people and we can’t help but gravitate towards the more mature subjects in his series. Daniel has carefully selected an array of flamboyant fur coats and disgruntled expressions. “I’m always looking for people who seem to have an entire backstory encapsulated in their face. I want to look beyond the surface and feel where they’ve been in life,” says the photographer.

Whether it’s a twirl of grey hair or deep laughter lines, it’s the crisp quality of Daniel’s images that sets them apart as every feature is celebrated. “My attention to detail, colour balance and texture is a direct connection to my other life as a graphic designer and artist,” says Daniel. Despite this precise approach, all of his pictures are unstaged: “Most of the people I’ve shot over the last year have been oblivious and by the time I’ve taken a few frames I’ve submerged back into the crowd.” 

This allows Daniel to catch people at their most unfazed and relaxed, but the real magic is in the moments when the subject realises they’re being photographed. The open-mouthed stares and the quizzical glances add even more to the narrative Daniel is trying to create. He explains: “I want to show that the plastic surgery aristocracy and the everyday worker all share a humanity that can only be glimpsed when I catch them in an unexpected moment… They shed their facade and who they are and what they’ve experienced presents itself with the naked truth.”