Behind the Binding | Spring 2025 | Part 2

Reuben Radding | Heavenly Arms | March 15

Cat Byrnes with Emilie Nilsson | Girlworld | March 22

Leo Jacob | New York is Dead? Long Live New York! | April 5 ***

Mary Ellen Matthews | The Art of the SNL Portrait | April 12

Dona Ann McAdams with Donna Ferrato | Black Box | May 17

More Photographers will be announced in the coming weeks!

Immerse yourself in the captivating world of photography at Leica Store and Gallery Meatpacking with our electrifying Saturday Morning series, Behind the Binding! Join us for invigorating conversations with renowned photographers, unraveling the stories behind their captivating works and acclaimed books.

Programming begins promptly at 11:00 AM

*** 3:00 PM for Leo Jacob on April 5th

Following each talk, indulge in signed books, bagels, and brewed coffee with the artist!

Seating is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot in advance!

Reuben Radding | Heavenly Arms | March 15

Distilled from ten years of Reuben Radding's photography from New York City's streets and beyond, Heavenly Arms, published by Red Hook Editions, is a meditation on human interconnectedness, conflict, and the musicality of American life. The 63 black & white photographs within create a poetic world of subjective questions, leading inevitably back to the viewer's own internal memories, associations, and desires. Heavenly Arms is Reuben Radding's first photo book.

Cat Byrnes | Girlworld | March 22

The collection of photos in GIRLWORLD is a result of documenting strangers, friends and family over the past decade, whether it be in New York City, Los Angeles or Pennsylvania. GIRLWORLD explores the many layers of womanhood, from moments of introspection to finding community. These experiences are captured through Cat Byrnes’s street and documentary photographs on film. Through playful, spontaneous images, the artist captures the delicate balance between freedom, connection and self-discovery. This book isn’t just about the journey—it’s about the joy and possibility found in every step, the laughter shared, and the unspoken stories that shape us. A celebration of life lived, GIRLWORLD invites you to see womanhood as an unfolding adventure of lightness and depth.

Leo Jacob | New York is Dead? Long Live New York! | April 5 (3:00 PM!)

This 9" x 12", 224 page hardcover photo-book features Leo's signature style photography as well as interviews from the owners, managers and operators of some of New York City's restaurants, stores fronts as well as other New York City professionals as they operated amidst the harsh restrictions, health concerns and financial unknowns due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The photo-book is a visual representation of those doing all they can to keep the City alive contrary to those that have been saying "New York City is dead".

The interviews will reveal their thoughts on what New York City is, what it means to them and what they think of those that say "NYC is dead".

The book features exclusive tribute commentary and comments from Jason Momoa, Walton Goggins, Frank Grillo, Jack Huston, Zoe Kravitz, Sam Rockwell, Michael Raymond James, Allan Houston, Stephen Dorff and it will close with an epilogue from Jason Isbell.

Mary Ellen Matthews | The Art of the SNL Portrait | April 12

Week after week, photographer Mary Ellen Matthews makes magic happen on Saturday Night Live with her inventive, irreverent, and truly original photography for the “bumpers”—portraits of the host and musical guest that transition the show to and from commercial breaks.

Andy Samberg in a giant martini glass. Billie Eilish peeking out of a pile of snow. Kevin Hart writing his own cue cards. Paul Rudd as Paul McCartney. Sarah Silverman dusting the NBC marquee. These are just a few examples of Matthews's bold, dynamic, and playful celebrity portraits that, for over two decades, have artfully highlighted the hosts and musical guests who help bring the show to life.

Published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of SNL, The Art of the SNL Portrait is the first time these iconic images, that are vital to the show’s identity, are in print. Complete with a foreword by Lorne Michaels, The Art of the SNL Portrait is a celebration of America’s longest-running comedy TV show and a tribute to its enduring artistic identity.

Mary Ellen Matthews shared: “Shooting for SNL is the most fun job in the world. It's so exciting for me to see my work coming together in print after existing on screen for all these years. This book is an homage the incredible hosts and musical guests as well as the whole team I have the honor of working with at the show.”

Dona Ann McAdams with Donna Ferrato | Black Box | May 17

Black Box, a memoir by award-winning American photographer Dona Ann McAdams, combines fifty years of black and white photography with the photographer’s own short lyric texts she calls “ditties.” The book brings together McAdams’ striking historical images with personal reflections that read like prose-poems. Her photographs, taken between 1974 and 2024, document astonishing moments and people across decades of American life.

About the Speakers

Reuben Radding is a photographer, writer, musician and teacher based in New York City. His work has appeared in many galleries around the United States and Europe, and also in numerous outlets such as The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and the New Republic. His prolific output has been channeled into a series of 14 limited edition photo zines (so far) that he continues to self-publish. He teaches private photography workshops online year-round, and is on faculty in the International Center of Photography's Creative Practices program. Radding received his MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College in 2019.

Cat Byrnes is a New York City based photographer and artist. She received a BFA at Pace University in New York City for Studio Arts with minors in Art History and Anthropology. Through her photography, she invites viewers into a world of forgotten memories and overlooked details. These brief glimpses into the lives of her subjects become part of a larger narrative—one that speaks to our shared humanity. Cat Byrnes’s work has been exhibited in various shows and galleries including Brooklyn Film Camera, Agony Books, Photoville, Women Street Photographers, Soho Photo Gallery and Contact Gallery. She has also been published by The Guardian, Lomography, Pomegranate Press, Hunger Magazine, and F-Stop Magazine. GIRLWORLD is her first published book by Konnotation Press.

Emilie Nilsson is the founder of Konnotation Press, an art publishing and creative agency dedicated to transforming the artistic landscape through groundbreaking printed works. With over 15 years of experience, she has honed her expertise in curating and publishing artist books, photo books, and monographs, several of which have earned prestigious places in the libraries of The Whitney Museum and the Venice Biennale.

Emilie holds a BA in Cultural Studies and an MA in Modern Culture, reflecting her deep commitment to the arts and their cultural significance. Beyond her publishing endeavors, she supports a New York-based NGO focused on combating human trafficking, demonstrating a profound dedication to social causes.

Having spent a significant portion of her career in New York, Emilie now calls Paris home.

Leo Jacob is an American photographer known for his cinematic portraiture that captures the spirit of his subjects. Born in the former Soviet Union and migrating to New York City at age five, Leo has embraced the city’s energy to shape his signature style. His work has been featured in Vogue, GQ, The Hollywood Reporter, Purple Magazine, and Deadline. Mentored by industry leaders like Michael Muller, Greg Williams, and Jason Roman, Leo has worked with clients such as The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate, LVMH, Jacquemus, Birkenstock, and more. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter, balancing his photography and hospitality ventures.

Mary Ellen Matthews has been a top entertainment portrait photographer for over two decades. She has created colorful, iconic images of every well-known personality of the age. Since 1999, she has been the photographer for Saturday Night Live, where she has been responsible for creating (and re-creating each season) the distinctive look of the show’s still images.

Dona Ann McAdams has been making photographs for fifty years, her work exhibited at venues such as the Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The International Center for Photography, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, among other places.

Her books include Black Box: A Photographic Memoir (Saint Lucy Books, 2024) and Caught in the Act (Aperture, 1996). She is the recipient of a Dorothea Lange/Paul Taylor Prize from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, an Obie and Bessie Award for her performance photography, and grants from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts and the Vermont Arts Council.

She lives on a goat farm in Vermont.

Donna Ferrato is an internationally acclaimed photographer renowned for her groundbreaking documentation of domestic violence. Her seminal book, "Living With the Enemy" (Aperture, 1991), sparked a national discourse on sexual violence and women’s rights. In 2014, Ferrato launched the "I Am Unbeatable" campaign to expose and prevent domestic violence through real stories. Ferrato's work has been featured in major news publications and exhibited in over 500 solo exhibitions worldwide. She has held leadership roles in organizations such as the W. Eugene Smith Fund and founded the non-profit Domestic Abuse Awareness Project. Ferrato has received numerous accolades, including the W. Eugene Smith Grant and the Robert F. Kennedy Award. Recognized for her advocacy, Ferrato has been honored by the City of New York and the New York State Supreme Court for her contributions to gender equality. In 2020, she was named one of the Hundred Heroines by the British Arts foundation.