Welcome to In Focus, a feature where writer Hannah Frishberg profiles some of the great street photographers of New York City's past and present.
Brooklyn-based photographer and ex-painter Paul McDonough is a New Hampshire native, but he's lived in New York for the past 40 years. He teaches at the Pratt Institute and considers the street his studio. "There are no pictures out there," he says, "only events that could lead to possible pictures." Humble McDonough considers himself "just another tourist," albeit one whose work is in the MoMA's collections. Below, he speaks candidly about his career, technique, and chronicling a changing city. Plus, he shares a selection of 20 favoritesoffering insight into how many of the compositions came together.