Beyond The Grid, Vol. 10 - Frames I Keep Coming Back To — Part 2
This is the second installment in my side series, Frames I Keep Coming Back To, where I share five of my favorite photos from my archives.
This one has accidentally become a New York City edition. I lived there from 2013 to 2019 and shot constantly, people, places, and moments. When I gathered the images for this post, I realized the city itself was the thread connecting them.
There's no strict timeline here. Just five frames that still pull me in.
This frame is of the incredible artist CJ Hendry. We had just wrapped up an interview in Manhattan for a creative project. For our shoot, she was generous enough to walk through the city in her pajamas so I could capture photos and video.
While we were taking a break, she grabbed a coffee. I saw the potential for a quiet portrait through the cafe window and began shooting. I love this photo because even though the situation was planned, this specific moment was not. There was no posing, just a quiet minute captured through the glass with the city reflected around her.
I am a big fan of her and her husband Lewis. They are truly lovely, down to earth Aussies, and this image always reminds me of that authenticity.
Here is another portrait from that same creative series in New York. I took this photo of Ben Van Leeuwen right after we finished our interview. I wanted to capture him where it all started, with his truck. He was so hands on and passionate about the product.
I was in New York recently, and I was blown away. It felt like there was a Van Leeuwen shop on every other block. The brand is massive now.
Seeing their success made me come back to this picture. It feels like a time capsule, a snapshot of the founder right before the company exploded. It’s a quiet portrait of the person behind what has become a phenomenon.
You can probably tell from the photo, but this shoot with actress Pallavi Sharda was ridiculously fun. It was one of those days where any plan you thought you had goes right out the window, in the best way possible.
We were wandering the street after she had just been dancing on a random rooftop for me. We stumbled upon this parked fire truck, and it seemed the only logical thing to do next was for her to climb inside. She was completely up for it, of course.
This was back in early 2017, so it's been cool to see her pop up in some huge TV roles in Australia since then. I love this frame because it’s a perfect snapshot of that day's energy. Just a fun, spontaneous moment without any pretense.
This is the legend, Dion Lee. I took this portrait after our interview, looking out over the city from his studio.
Like a lot of people, I was gutted to hear the recent news about his brand. It really changes how I see this picture. He looks so focused and thoughtful here. It feels like a quiet moment with a true visionary, captured years before things got so difficult.
It is a sharp reminder of how brutal that industry can be, even for the most immense talents. I'm still hoping for the best for him.
Of all the things you expect to find in Grand Central Terminal, a professional squash tournament usually isn't one of them. But every year they build a glass court in Vanderbilt Hall for the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, and the whole scene is pretty wild.
I went along to photograph fellow Aussie Cameron Pilley, seen here lunging for the ball. Shooting fast moving sport is always a fun challenge, but doing it inside one of the world's busiest train stations is something else entirely. You have the squeak of the shoes and the roar from the crowd, all mixed with the ambient chaos of the city just outside the glass.
It is one of my favorite uniquely New York experiences.
And that's it. Five frames from my New York chapter that still pull me in for different reasons. Thanks for taking the time to read the stories behind them.
For the more polished, day-to-day stuff, you can always find me over on the Instagram grid.
See you next time.
Benny