In the fall of 2012, Kathy Ryan, longtime director of photography at The New York Times Magazine, began an extracurricular project. Inspired by the patterns of light and shadow that filled the offices of Renzo Piano’s New York Times building, she began posting images made with her phone to Instagram, where they were a hit; she’s now closing in on 100,000 followers. A book from Aperture followed, and now, “Office Romance” is Ryan’s gallery debut at Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York City, where the series will be on view from May 5 until June 19 (along with a show of Mary Ellen Mark’s portraits). Writes the gallery in a statement, “On a regular basis, [Ryan] comes in early or stays late or returns on weekends to capture the luminous quality of the light. Among her favorite spots are an eastside corner on the 6th floor in the mornings and the west side of the building on the 15th floor at sunset.” Her success as a photographer has even led to a job: “a new assignment from the magazine’s editor-in-chief Jake Silverstein to photograph the magazine’s staff and contributing writers and artists for the contributors page.” Among her recent subjects is Andrew Sorkin, who wrote an April cover story for the magazine. Like Ryan, in the photo he’s multitasking, posing while working with his laptop balanced on his knees.
Related Stories:
A Labor of Love: 400 Fifth Avenue
Lee Friedlander Dresses Up for Fashion Week
Keith Ladzinski’s Advice for Building an Instagram Following (for PDN subscribers; login required)
