My current work examines the history of New York City street photography by transforming its ethos and practices through a contemplative, spiritual approach. Rather than aiming, shooting, and taking photographs, I receive imagery, collaborating with the city and its people. This approach attempts to dislodge street photography from a tradition of aggression, machismo, and trophy-hunting.
My camera is an extension of my body, enabling me to receive images from oblique angles; from above, around, and beneath. I often receive images from the hip or chest, not looking, and passing through. Remaining open and grateful; never entitled.
I don’t try to hide or be the fly on the wall. I’m not being sneaky. I want people to see me making photos, but not care. It is a kind of collaboration. Mutual trust.
I create the final, often unexpected, composition in the studio during the edit stage. In doing so, I frequently discover things that are hidden as we navigate the busy city as human beings, image-bearers of God, yet so often distracted, selfish, and cruel. We are a mass of contradictions.
Through the use of these approaches and techniques, I am, in the words of James Baldwin, attempting to "make something meaningful of the suffering and joy that we experience. Art, in this sense, is a form of grace—it is where we meet God, in the act of creation."
-Daniel Flahiff, 2025
STATEMENT
BIO
Daniel Flahiff (b. 1966, Los Angeles) lives and works in New York City. He received an MFA from Art Center College of Design studying under Mike Kelly, Stephen Prina, and Mayo Thompson, and is a recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including gold, silver, and platinum Telly Awards, a 2023 Anthem Award, a 2023 IDA Award, and three 2022 Davey Awards honoring the achievements of the “Creative Davids” who derive their strength from big ideas, rather than stratospheric budgets. Flahiff's film, Dad Bod, was awarded Best Short Documentary award at the 2024 Oregon Documentary Film Festival and has been screened internationally. He has been featured in press outlets including 425 Magazine, Seattle P-I, and Modern Art Notes. His work has been included in exhibitions at FRAME, Copenhagen; Photo Center NW, Seattle; OK Hotel, Seattle; Glowlab, Brooklyn, NY; Botkyrka Konsthall, Stockholm; The Pilot Space, Auckland; Royal Melbourne Institue of Technology in Melbourne; Röda Sten, Göteborg; California State University, Los Angeles; Three Day Weekend, Los Angeles; Wonderful World of Art, Seattle; and the Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue.
AWARDS:
Oregon Documentary Film Festival, Best Short Doc [2024]
Telly Awards, Silver (X2) [2024]
Oregon Short Film Festival, Best Micro Doc [2024]
Telly Awards, Gold [2023]
Anthem Awards, Bronze [2023]
AVA Digital Awards, Gold [2023]
International Design Awards, Gold [2023]
Viddy Awards, Platinum (x2) [2022]
MarCom Awards, Gold [2022]
The Davey Awards, Gold (X2) [2022]
Hermes Creative Awards, Platinum [2022]
Muse Creative Award, Silver [2022]
SELECTED PRESS:
425 Magazine, Seattle P-I, Modern Art Notes
EXHIBITIONS/FESTIVALS:
Copenhagen Photo Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark [2025]
LaCrosse Action Film Festival, LaCrosse, WI [2024]
Fresh Coast Film Festival, Marquette, MI [2024]
Oregon Documentary Film Festival, Portland, OR [2024]
New York Indie Shorts, New York, NY [2024]
Movie Crush, Walla Walla, WA [2024]
Daddying Film Festival, Philadelphia, PA [2024]
Hollywood Short Film Festival, Hollywood, CA [2024]
New Hope Film Festival, New Hope, PA [2024]
Frozen River Film Festival, Winona, MN [2024]
Oregon Short Film Festival, Portland, OR [2023]
Cannes Indy Short Film Festival, Cannes, France [2023]
“Long Shot,” Photo Center NW, Seattle, WA [2011]
“Power to the Poster,” The New BLK, Omaha, NE [2010]
“CitizenGallery,” Power to the Poster, Match Factory Project [2009]
“Snap to Grid,” LACDA, Los Angeles, CA [2007]
“Bleeding Hearts,” Gallery OK, OK Hotel, Seattle, WA [2007]
“Conflux,” Glowlab via Free Press, Brooklyn, NY [2006]
“Labyrinth,” Botkyrka Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden [2006]
“Free Press,” Röda Sten, Göteborg, Sweden [2006]
“Menlo Park,” Gallery OK, OK Hotel, Seattle, WA [2006]
“International Experimental Cinema Exposition,” Telluride, CO [2000]
“Transmission/Reception,” The Pilot Space, Auckland, New Zealand [1997]
“Territorial Motif,” Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia [1997]
“IMFA,” California State University, Los Angeles, CA [1996]
“Society,” feat. Dietrich Diedrichson, Three Day Weekend, Los Angeles, CA [1995]
“Disegno et Altri Miti,” The Lofts, Seattle, WA [1994]
“Early Thaw: Paintings,” School of Visual Concepts, Seattle, WA [1993]
“Pacific Northwest Annual Exhibition, Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA [1992]
“33rd Magnolia Juried Exhibition,” Magnolia, WA [1992]
“Eclectic as the Day is Long,” Wonderful World of Art, Seattle, WA [1992]
“Mercer Island 24th Juried Exhibition,” Mercer Island, WA [1991]