Yo - That Camera Work

I was walking down Fifth Avenue towards 125th Street with my camera slung around my neck when someone called out, “Yo, that camera work.” I turned to find an unfamiliar face planted in front of the Shake Shack—what caught my eye first were his sideburns, straight out of an early Dj Run from RUN‑DMC. He wore a Coors trucker hat over a bushy afro, black frames fitted with yellow shooting lenses, and an olive‑green flannel adorned with studs and rhinestones that traced vertical and horizontal lines across the fabric.

Around his neck hung a beaded necklace with a black tassel and gold accents. Baggy blue denim draped over bright green Nike Air Max DN Volt sneakers that somehow made him look an inch taller than he actually was. A purple cup, wired AirPods, and a crinkled blue plastic bag finished the look—part gritty, part glamorous, fully chic.

I asked him to stand by an abandoned newsstand and started shooting. He slipped effortlessly into classic poses: the sideways glance with a smile, the same look without a smile, and even the defiant middle‑finger “fuck the world” pose. When I wrapped, he thanked me, texted me his email, and joked he’d send some money if he liked the photos—apparently whatever was in that cup had him feeling generous.

It’s never a dull moment walking around Harlem especially when it comes to photography.