Rich Allen

“A struggling filmmaker with no money, I turned to photography and fell in love with it,” writes Rich Allen whose fabulous photographs of New York City in the 1970s we see here. “Black & white film cost 79 cents a roll. I’d carry the Pentax, or another camera, all day, every day. I’d take pictures as I rode the streets or went up and down elevators and in and out of buildings. I’d stay up late at night in my studio, processing or printing. Developing the negatives was my favorite, seeing those images of the day appear like magic on the celluloid. Got it! I’d think. As often as not, though, it was the surprises that made it rewarding. A certain picture would stand out, but I could hardly remember why I took it. This is how, little by little, my photography got better.”

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