Chinatown, New York City

Ronald Diamond remembers constantly taking photographs while walking around New York City as a high school student in the 1960s. He has made different types of photographs, including news images for the Associated Press. In 1981, he earned a master’s degree in social work from Smith College, which led to a series of assignments at a prison psychiatric ward in Brooklyn, a clinic for troubled kids in Jamaica, Queens, and a neighborhood clinic. For Diamond, his work in social service and photography are linked by a life-long interest in listening to and observing people.

Diamond took this photograph in New York City’s Chinatown. He recalls: “As I was composing a simple eye contact portrait, I saw his reflection in the van and made the adjustment. He turned his head to continue his conversation with his friend, and I made the picture. Above all else, my photography is about serendipity.”