There is no neutral way to photograph Manhattan, and there is no neutral way to be photographed in it. The city imposes itself on every frame. For the 25–31 May 2026 New York headshot residency, Rory Lewis has chosen this consciously — the work will be made in Manhattan because Manhattan changes what a portrait means.

Most headshots are produced. A Rory Lewis headshot is composed.

This distinction matters more than it first sounds. The bulk of professional headshot photography in New York and London is built around a production model — bright, even, frontal lighting, a plain backdrop, a repeatable formula. The work is competent and the turnaround is fast, but the image is rarely memorable. Run a hundred LinkedIn pages side by side and they begin to blur into each other.