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

Black and white image of photographer Denise Pensky taking a photograph

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