NYC’s a Stage

Elizabeth Bick’s spare, beautiful work often depicts quiet interactions between subjects and their surroundings. In the following images, she showcases NYC’s stagelike qualities, featuring the interplay between moving bodies, light and urban architecture. The photographs—shot in Manhattan’s Midtown and Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Bushwick neighborhoods—focus on what Bick calls “harmonious moments” and “small nuances,” which she has been capturing since moving here in 2007. Bick came to NYC on a one-year grant program from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, after being displaced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. It was her first exposure to the City, which influenced her to shoot more documentary- and reportage-style imagery. “Moving to New York City changed my perspective and pushed my work in a new direction. I had an aha moment,” Bick says. Click through this slideshow to see more of her work. —Christina Parrella