Photographer Andre Wagner Captures the Moments You Missed

Andre Wagner documents the electric streets of New York City with his stark, affecting black-and-white photos.

In February, Brooklyn-based photographer and artist Andre Wagner went on a journey with Hennessy that explored his documenting the streets of New York City—and what drives him to always be searching for the next great story. Now, in Episode 3 of ​Piece By Piece​, he chops it up with Complex about his creative process and efforts to capture the moments that pass us by.

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“A photograph is the pause button on life,” ​Wagner​ explains. “In some cultures, it’s believed that when you take a photo, you capture a bit of somebody’s soul.”

In a single frame, I can show you something you’ve always seen in a way you’ve never seen it before.

Capturing souls may be the perfect way to describe his poetic work. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Wagner earned a degree in social work at Buena Vista University in 2010. Now, he calls Brooklyn home, snapping—in black and white—NYC’s vast neighborhoods with his camera. His images portray the sort of ephemeral, yet beautifully sublime moments that you may have missed in the rapid pace of city life. And his constant hustle embodies Hennessy’s long-standing moniker, “Never stop. Never settle.”

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“Each click is a new chapter,” Wagner says. “Every roll of film is another novel. My search for the next great story never stops.”

For more on Andre Wagner, watch Episode 3 of ​Piece By Piece​ above.

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