Joel Meyerowitz

Joel Meyerowitz, born in the Bronx 88 years ago, took to photographing the streets of New York in 1962. Though some of his early work was shot in black-and-white, he's widely seen as one of the pioneers of color photography, alongside William Eggleston, Harry Gruyaert, Saul Leiter and Stephen Shore.

This month, the Focus is on street photographers in New York, and having Joel Meyerowitz in the mix is essential. He has often said that "looking at the 'old guys' like Brassaï and Atget" is the best way to study street photography — but meanwhile, plenty of photographers are indebted to his way of looking. Gus Powell has expressed admiration for him and called him a mentor — and Meyerowitz, in turn, has said of Gus' work that it "gives him a lot of pleasure".

Calling Meyerowitz an award-winning photographer is an understatement — he is a two-time Guggenheim Fellow, the recipient of many, many awards and honors, and he is included in the Leica Hall of Fame. He has published over 50 books and is represented by the Howard Greenberg Gallery.