BIOGRAPHY
Melissa O’Shaughnessy was born in 1960 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and studied at Georgetown University and the University of St. Thomas, graduating with a degree in journalism. She is now a photographer based in New York City. Her work has been featured in numerous international exhibitions and publications, and is also included in the books Bystander: A History of Street Photography, Women Street Photographers, and Reclaim the Street: Street Photography’s Moment.
She is a member of UP Photographers, a collective of 26 international street photographers.
Her first monograph, Perfect Strangers: New York City Street Photographs, was published by Aperture in October, 2020.
MONOGRAPH
2020: Perfect Strangers: New York City Street Photographs, by Melissa O’Shaughnessy, with an introduction by Joel Meyerowitz, Aperture
ANTHOLOGIES
2023: Reclaim the Street: Street Photography’s Moment, by Stephen McLaren and Matt Stuart, Thames & Hudson
2021: Women Street Photographers, edited by Gulnara Samoilova, Prestel
2017: Bystander, A History of Street Photography, by Colin Westerbeck and Joel Meyerowitz, Laurence King Publishing
PODCASTS & PRESENTATIONS
2023: Street Life Podcast with Mark Davidson and John St, Episode #32
2023: A Day With NYC Street Photographer Melissa O’Shaughnessy, Walkie Talkie Episode #24, YouTube
2022: Municipal Art Society of New York Virtual Gallery Talk, YouTube
2021: Photoville: Behind the Lens with Joel Meyerowitz and Melissa O’Shaughnessy, YouTube
2021: Perfect Strangers – A Conversation with Melissa O’Shaughnessy, Create. Photography Podcast, Episode #42
2021: Street Week, Los Angeles Center of Photography Presentation, YouTube
2021: Aperture Conversations: Celebrating Women of Street Photography, YouTube
2021: What Photography Means to Me, A Photographic Life Podcast
2021: Conversation with the Unexposed Collective and Women of UP, YouTube
2020: NYC-SPC Camera Work: Michelle Rick in Conversation with Melissa O’Shaughnessy, YouTube
2020: Miami Street Photography Festival, Featured Speaker
2020: The Candid Frame Podcast with Ibarionex Perello, Episode #537
2020: Aperture Conversations: Melissa O’Shaughnessy and Gus Powell, YouTube
2019: Outerfocus Podcast with Ian Weldon, Episode #51
2017: Women in Street Stories, You Tube
ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
2024: We Are Here: Scenes from the Streets’ Review, The Wall Street Journal
2024: ‘Humanity is thriving!’: a street-level tour of the world — in pictures, The Guardian
2023: About “Perfect Strangers”, A Visual Zine
2022: Interview with Travelling Light Club
2022: Triggered, Musee Magazine
2021: Female in Photo: 20 of the Best Women Photographers in 2021, The Phoblographer
2021: Preservation–Review of “Perfect Strangers” by Melissa O’Shaughnessy, Frames Magazine
2021: Perfect Strangers: NYC Streets Through the Eyes of a Female Photographer, Andy Sillett Blog
2021: Melissa O’Shaughnessy Brings Together the Wonderful Diversity of NYC, The Phoblographer
2021: Finding Beauty in the Ordinary, New York Times
2021: Meet Melissa O’Shaughnessy, the photographer who captures the essence of New Yorkers, Travel Tomorrow
2021: 8 Photobooks by Contemporary Women Photographers, Aperture
2021: Revisiting the Bustling Streets of New York, Blind Magazine
2021: Perfect Strangers Book Review, Blake Andrews for Collector Daily
2021: 30 Most Influential Street Photographers to Follow in 2021, Expert Photography
2020: Melissa O’Shaughnessy’s Book “Perfect Strangers” Is a Love Letter to New York City, W Magazine
2020: Melissa O’Shaughnessy on Capturing New York City Through Street Photography, Travel+Leisure Magazine
2020: Perfect Strangers, Eyeshot Magazine
2020: The Parade of Life on the Streets of New York: Aperture
2020: Melissa O’Shaughnessy Documents the Streets of New York in Her First Book: Creative Review
2020: Perfect Strangers: NYC Street Photographs, Juxtapoz
2020: New Photography Book Perfect Strangers Reveals Life Before the Pandemic, The Daily Mail
2020: Perfect Strangers, Seen Magazine
2020: Perfect Strangers: A New Photography Book Documents the Life Before the Pandemic, Nuvo Magazine
2020: The Best New Art Books for Autumn, the Financial Times
2019: Street Photography’s New Stars, The Guardian
2019: Conversation with Blake Andrews, UP Photographers
2019: Being Present in the Here and Now, YWYW Magazine
2019: Moving on UP, streetrepeat.org
2018: 20 Female Street Photographers to Follow in 2018
2017: The Bible of Street Photography Was Just Updated for the First Time in 20 Years, Artsy
2016: Her Side of the Street, Medium
EXHIBITIONS
2024: We Are Here: Scenes from the Streets, International Center of Photography, New York, New York
2024: Women Street Photographers, Rome International Photo Festival, Rome, Italy
2023: This is New York, 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture, Museum of the City of New York, New York, New York
2023: Women Street Photographers Annual NYC Exhibition, P.S. 109, New York, New York
2022: Eyes on Main Street, 8th Edition, Wilson, North Carolina
2022: Street Photography Invitational, Plaxall Gallery at Culture Lab, Long Island City, New York
2022: The Sidewalk Ballet: Photographs by Melissa O’Shaughnessy, The Municipal Art Society of New York
2022: Women Street Photographers, India Photo Festival, Hyderabad, India
2022: Women Street Photographers, P.S. 109, New York, NY
2021: Eyes on Main Street, 7th Edition, Wilson, North Carolina
2021: Women Street Photographers Inaugural Virtual Exhibition
2020: Women Street Photographers, P.S. 109, New York, NY
2020: Double Trouble: Exposing Women in Street, Head On Photo Festival, Sydney, Australia
2020: Women Street Photographers, Accademia Scaglia, Trieste, Italy
2020: Women Street Photographers, State Historical Museum, Chelyabinsk, Russia
2019: Women Street Photographers, P.S. 109, New York, NY
2019: Miami Street Photography Festival International Awards, HistoryMiami Museum, Miami, FL
2019: Brussels Street Photography Festival, Women Street Photographers Exhibition, Brussels, Belgium
2019: Xposure Photo Festival, MSPF Finalist Exhibit, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2019: Bielso-Biala Foto Art Festival, Women Street Photographers Exhibition, Bielso-Biala, Poland
2019: LensCulture Street Photography Awards Finalist, LensCulture.com
2019: Street: NYC-SPC Open Call Exhibition, Contact Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2019: StreetFoto San Francisco International Street Photography Awards Finalist, San Francisco, CA
2019: StreetFoto San Francisco Streets of San Francisco Awards Finalist, San Francisco, CA
2019: Two Way Street, Women in Street Exhibition, SF Camerawork, San Francisco, CA
2019: PHOS Festival, Women Street Photographers Exhibition, Sofia, Bulgaria
2019: Italian Street Photography Festival Finalist Exhibition, Rome, Italy
2019: Street Photo Milano Finalist Exhibition, Milan, Italy
2019: A Color Moment, Director’s Award, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT (Juror: Arthur Meyerson)
2019: Primary Colors, NYC4PA Exhibition, New York, NY
2018: Women Street Photographers, P.S. 109, New York, NY
2018: Miami Street Photography Festival International Awards, HistoryMiami Museum, Miami, FL
2018: Bystander Street Photography Exhibition, Leica Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2018: StreetFoto San Francisco International Street Photography Awards, San Francisco, CA
2018: Streets Sans Frontiers: Humans and Street Life, Paris, France
2018: The Decisive Moment, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT (Juror: Sam Abell)
2017: Back to the Streets 2, Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
2017: Composed, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT (Juror: Sam Abell)
2017: The Color of Light, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT (Juror: Arthur Myerson)
2017: Glass, 2017, Jadite Gallery, New York, NY (Juror: NYC4PA)
2013: Solo Exhibition, Works Gallery, New York, NY
2012: Windows and Mirrors, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT (Jurors: Elizabeth Corden and Jan Potts)
2011: Again, Reflections and Photography, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT (Juror: Sylvia Swann)
2011: Solo Exhibition, Works Gallery, New York, NY
2010: Solo Exhibition, Central Penn College, Summerdale, PA
MAGAZINES & ZINES
2021: PhotoLife Magazine, January Issue
2020: The Mirror, (Guest Curator), Eyeshot Magazine
2020: Post No Bills, Bump Books
2020: Flora and Fauna, Eyeshot Magazine
2019: Street Fashion, Eyeshot Magazine
2019: Street Jungle, Eyeshot Magazine
EDITORIAL
2022: Raja Feather Kelly, New York Times T Magazine
