TOURISTS OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
From 1997 to 1999, I worked on the 86th floor observatory of the Empire State Building. My job was straightforward: photographing tourists posed in front of painted backdrops of iconic New York landmarks. During breaks and quiet moments, I stepped away from that role, pulled out my own camera, and turned my attention to the people themselves.
What emerged was an unplanned record of observation. Tourists gazing out over the city, studying the building they were standing on, reacting to the height, the wind, the crowds, and the sensory overload of being on top of one of the world’s most famous structures. People from all over the world passed through the observatory each day, carrying cameras, accents, expectations, and a shared sense of wonder at the turn of the century.
This series documents a fleeting moment in time. New York before 9/11. Before heightened security. Before the loss of a certain openness and freedom of movement. These photographs capture not only the visitors, but the atmosphere of an era when the Empire State Building was a place of collective curiosity and awe, and the city felt accessible, expansive, and endlessly alive.