On view now through June 29, 2015 in the Community Room of Mulberry Street Library are the photographs of David Penner.This series he is presenting is called "Manhattan Pairs" and features portraits of pairs of people in various NYC locales. I spoke with David recently about his photography.

How did you first become interested in photography as a medium?

In my youth, I was a serious oboist, but had to stop due to a hand injury. Photography filled this void left by the absence of music, and allowed me to be an artist again. There are also many photographers in my family. Photography is a good medium for me, because it allows you to teach yourself, and create your own technique. In this way, it is the antithesis of classical music and ballet, where you cannot attain a high level of technical proficiency without having spent many years at a conservatory. Photography is precisely the opposite: Many great photographers are self taught, and this can allow for greater leeway in regards to one's creativity. Street photography and documentary photography are also a good match for me, because they allow you to merge artistry with an intellectual sensibility.

Who are some of your favorite photographers, artists, and influences?

There are many photographers I like, but I'm particularly fond of Sebastião Salgado, Steve McCurry, Nan Goldin, Mary Ellen Mark and Don McCullin. I've also been extremely influenced by classical music, the cinema, literature, as well as the painters Egon Schiele, Otto Dix, Degas, George Grosz and Renoir.

Your subjects are mostly people—how do you approach your subjects? How do you select story ideas?

I approach people as respectfully as I can. Story ideas come about by spending many hours reading, people watching, and looking at the work of great photographers and artists.

How has the digital era affected how you approach photography? What do you think its strengths and weaknesses are compared to shooting film?

Digital has made making a living in photography extremely difficult, because it has added literally hundreds of millions of additional photographers to the planet. Many people think that simply because they have a camera, they are a photographer, and this is not the case; so there is sometimes a lack of understanding of what quality photography really is. There is also sometimes a lack of understanding of the challenges of shooting digitally, as many people think, "Anybody can do that. You just press a button." Digital has made it easier to edit your own work, as the digital darkroom is infinitely more accessible than the traditional wet darkroom, where if you make a mistake, you can totally destroy a roll of film.

What made you decide to do portraits in black and white as opposed to color?

Every photographer tends to gravitate towards one or the other, and neither is superior.

It is simply a matter of personal taste. It would be impossible to imagine Ansel Adams in color, and it would be impossible to imagine Steve McCurry or William Albert Allard in black and white. Regardless of which medium they choose—or in actuality which medium chooses them—the black and white or color they shoot in becomes an inextricable part of their artistic voice. I once met with a big shot photography agent, who looked at my black and white prints, and said, "All the people you like are dead." Yet Salgado, Enri Canaj, Jacob Aue Sobol, Jessica Lehrman, Jeff Gusky and many other fine photographers, are alive and still shoot in black and white. The point is not to try and live in the past, but to embrace black and white when you hear its sacred calling. When I put a portrait in black and white, it allows me in some mysterious and cryptic way, to communicate something I cannot communicate in color. Sometimes I cannot truly see the image until it is in black and white. And with black and white, I can let the portrait sing, and reveal the person's soul in all its pain and beauty.

You also shoot food as a subject, can you tell me a little about this interest?

Yes, I've shot hundreds of restaurants around the city. In order to do food photography, you need to have a love of food, and also have a good feel for shooting with a tripod. It's also important to understand that a great chef is an artist.

What drew you to exhibiting photography in a library space?

The idea of exhibiting in a library appeals to me because it is so accessible and unpretentious.

Join us for a reception for David Penner's "Manhttan Pairs" on Monday June 15 at 5:15 pm in the Community Room of Mulberry Street Library. Light refreshments will be served.