Amy Horowitz’s new photobook, A Walk in the Park?, is a striking collection of portraits taken over five years in and around New York City’s Washington Square Park and the West Village. With a disarming directness, Horowitz invites viewers to look past flamboyant appearances and eccentric style to find something more vulnerable and honest beneath the surface.
Her directive to subjects—“Don’t smile”—sets the tone. These are not polished, performative portraits. Instead, they feel raw, intimate, and open. Almost every person meets the camera with steady, unflinching eye contact, revealing a kind of trust and emotional presence that’s rare in street portraiture.
“For me, street portraiture is about connection,” Horowitz writes. “It’s about being seen, heard and understood, on both sides of the lens.” That ethos comes through clearly in these photographs. Her subjects—drawn in by their unique visual signals (bright hair, tattoos, expressive fashion)—aren’t merely characters; they are individuals offering up a piece of their truth in the moment. “I look for softness under the shell,” she explains. And that’s exactly what we get: glimpses of vulnerability behind self-made armor.
The book is rooted in a place rich with photographic history. Washington Square Park has long been a magnet for artists, outcasts, activists, and performers—and a subject for legends like André Kertész and Diane Arbus. Horowitz brings her own sensitive eye to this tradition, capturing the messy, layered reality of the park today, where tourists mingle with protestors, vendors, and dreamers. Her portraits reflect the enduring energy and diversity of the place, while also carving out quiet, human moments amid the chaos.
There’s something powerful in the simplicity of Horowitz’s approach. These are not flashy images—they’re thoughtful, steady, and sincere. Her subjects are young adults, and while their presentation often radiates confidence or defiance, Horowitz notes that many also wrestle with anxiety and low self-worth. That complexity is felt in every frame.
This book is a welcome addition to the lineage of New York street photography—personal, perceptive, and full of heart. Horowitz honors her subjects not just by photographing them, but by truly seeing them.
It’s a generous book in many other ways, too. The book’s 166 portraits are printed beautifully, and they offer unexpected surprises throughout, including a handful of images of some of the same subjects captured repeatedly over different years and seasons—we get to know them as they grow and experiment with different looks while the light shines from their eyes. Highly recommended.
ISBN: 978-90-5330-964-3
