about
To me, photography is the art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place. I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.
— Elliott Erwitt
With camera in hand, Denise Pensky seeks to capture the essence, emotion, and humanity of a place and its people. Her camera compels her to slow down, to stop and truly see. Inspired by Elliott Erwitt, Denise creates visual narratives using humor, perspective, and juxtaposition—whether photographing in Albany, NY, where she lives, on the streets of New York City, or while traveling wherever curiosity leads her.
Denise is an active professional member of The Raw Society, Women Street Photographers, and the National Press Photographers Association, among others. Her work is exhibited internationally and has received honorable mentions from the Paris International Street Photographers and merit mentions from AAP Magazine (Street and Shadow, 2025). Denise’s photography has been featured in publications including Eyeshot Magazine (2026) and National Geographic Germany (2023).
She has created several photo-based publications, most recently a nail in his shoe, an identity project examining her father’s mental health following World War II. In 2026, this book was included in the Shutter Hub Pop-Up Photobook Library at Cambridge University and featured at the Cambridge Festival in the UK.
Books and Zines
2025 a nail in his shoe, self-published photobook
2023 Delta Blues …Clarksdale Juke Joint Festival 2022, collaborative zine
2021 through the looking glass… A peek into an old lady’s perspective on the divisive politics in America, self-published zine
Exhibitions
2026 Dusk Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, Nostalgia Exhibition
2026 Shutter Hub Pop-Up Photobook Library, Cambridge, UK: a nail in his shoe selected
2025 24 Hour Project, Mexico Exhibition
2025 PhotoPlace Gallery, Portraiture: Unveiling Identity Online Exhibition
2023 Women Street Photographers, Virtual Exhibition
2023 PhotoPlace Gallery, Decisive Moment Online Exhibition
2022 Women Street Photographers, India Exhibition
Honors and Awards
2025 AAP Magazine #52 Street, Merit Award
2025 Life Framer Portraits, Editors’ Pick
2025 24 Hour Project, Finalist, Mexico Exhibition
2025 AAP Magazine #47 Shadow, Merit Award
2025 Paris International Street Photography Awards, 3 Honorable Mentions
2023 Women Street Photographers, Finalist, Virtual Exhibition
2022 Women Street Photographers, Finalist, India Exhibition
Features
2026 Eyeshot Magazine, Deep Streets #21
2025 AAP Magazine #52 Street
2025 AAP Magazine #47 Shadow
2023 Nat Geo Magazine
Professional Development
The Raw Society: New York City, NY; Kathmandu & Bhaktapur, Nepal; Istanbul, Turkey; New Orleans, Louisiana; Clarksdale, Mississippi
En El Camino: Mantanzas Province & Cienaga de Zapata, Cuba
Gustavo Minas: New York City, NY
Harvey Stein: Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan & Coney Island, NY
Rachel Nixon: Mentorship, Project Development & Storytelling
Sonia Gordenko: Mentorship, Editing & Photo Review
Jeff Jacobson: Iowa Caucus & New Hampshire Primary 2020, USA
Peter Turnley: New York City, NY; Havana, Trinidad & Cienfuego, Cuba
Richard Kalvar: San Francisco, CA
Mark De Paola: Nantucket, MA
Elizabeth Opalenik: San Francisco, CA
Kevin Mullins: London, UK
Valerie Jardin: Manhattan, NY; Paris & Normandy, France; Rome, Italy
Vineet Vohra: Manhattan, NY; Miami, FL
Memberships
The Raw Society Pro Member
Women Street Photographers
Royal Photographic Society & RPS Women in Photography Group
National Press Photographers Association
International Center for Photography