Photographer Sara Messinger Shares How She’s Facing Her Childhood Fears Through a Camera Lens

NOMINATED BY MICHAEL FOLEY (DIRECTOR, LEICA GALLERY NY)
26—NEW YORK

Sara Messinger has shot editorial images for The Cut, The New York Times, and The New Yorker, but she found her niche in pathos-filled portraits of teenagers. Earlier this year, her images were shown alongside those of 92-year-old Magnum photographer Bruce Davidson at Leica’s New York gallery.

“[Photographing teenagers] wasn’t so much an active decision; the story found me. I photographed a few of them in the park one day, and after, I kept running into them and saying hi. I was always curious what it was like to grow up in New York. They embodied this authenticity and honesty that I always admired, and that I think I was in search of at that point in my life.

A lot of my work addresses fears from my childhood that have followed me into my adulthood. [I’m] trying to capture a love and honesty that I didn’t experience in my adolescent years, and that I still search for. The fear of not finding this in my life drives me to search for connection through my photography. I will be the first to admit that it’s very difficult to keep yourself going in a time like this. I hope that at the very least, no matter how long it takes to find what you are looking for, the journey is enjoyable.”

Sara Messinger, Gracie blowing bubble gum, 2001.

Sara Messinger, Franky and Polly smoking out of Franky’s bedroom window, 2023.

Sara Messinger, Mary, Sid, Polly, and Caleb skipping school and hanging out in Washington Square Park, 2022.

Sara Messinger, Avril running through the sprinklers with a boyfriend in Tompkins Square Park, 2022.