Spring is in full swing, and New York City is bustling with a lineup of in-person photography talks, gallery walk-throughs, and photobook launches.
May 2026 is anchored by a few massive events, most notably the ICP Photobook Fest taking over the Lower East Side and the Photoville Festival kicking off at Brooklyn Bridge Park. But beyond the big festivals, there are intimate bookstore signings, university lectures wrapping up their spring series, and deep-dive museum conversations across the five boroughs.
To make planning your month as easy as possible, I’ve compiled an exhaustive list of every confirmed in-person photography talk happening in NYC this May.
May 2026: Master Schedule of NYC Photography Talks
| Date | Time (ET) | Event Title & Speaker | Venue & Location | Website / Link |
| May 1 | TBD | Revelations: New Perspectives on Sophie Rivera | Aperture Foundation, New York, NY | (https://aperture.org/experience/events/) |
| May 2 | 5:00 PM | First Saturday: Spring Tide & Pop-Up Talks | Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn | (https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/) |
| May 5 | 6:30 PM | Yael Martínez: Luciérnagas | Magnum Foundation, 59 E 4th St, Manhattan | (https://www.magnumfoundation.org/events) |
| May 5 | TBD | A Handbook of Latinx Art | Whitney Museum, 99 Gansevoort St, Manhattan | (https://whitney.org/events) |
| May 6 | 5:30 PM | Gallery Tours: Inside Voices, Outside Light | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, Manhattan | (https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/event/gallery-tours-inside-voices-outside-light/2026-05-06/) |
May 6 | 7:00 PM | Artist Series: Eli Durst | Penumbra Foundation, 36 E 30th St, Manhattan | (https://www.penumbrafoundation.org/artist-series) |
| May 8 | 6:00 PM | Artist Talk: Lex Kim | Bronx Documentary Center, 614 Courtlandt Ave, Bronx | (https://www.bronxdoc.org/events/upcoming-events/) |
| May 8–10 | 11:00 AM | ICP Photobook Fest 2026 (Multi-day festival with dozens of speakers) | ICP, 79 Essex St, Manhattan | (https://www.icp.org/events/icps-photobook-fest) |
| May 9 | 11:00 AM | Publishing Your Photobook with Harvey Stein | ICP, 79 Essex St, Manhattan | (https://www.icp.org/events/icps-photobook-fest) |
| May 9 | 11:00 AM | Cameras and Coffee: Photobook Swap | ICP, 79 Essex St, Manhattan | (https://www.icp.org/events) |
| May 11 | 7:00 PM | An Evening with Coreen Simpson | The National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park S, Manhattan | (https://aperture.org/events/an-evening-with-coreen-simpson/) |
| May 12 | 12:00 PM | Photography Talk Series: Sara VanDerBeek | Pratt Institute, ARC Bldg (E2), 200 Willoughby Ave, Brooklyn | (https://www.pratt.edu/events/photography-talk-series-sara-vanderbeek/) |
| May 12 | 7:00 PM | i3 Photo Lecture: Rick Smolan | SVA, 136 W 21st St, Rm 418F, Manhattan | (https://sva.edu/events/i3-photo-lecture-rick-smolan) |
| May 13 | 6:00 PM | History Repeats Itself: Curating Protest | NYPL Schwarzman Building, Rm 216, Manhattan | (https://www.nypl.org/events/calendar?location=36) |
| May 6 | 7:00 PM | Artist Series: Eli Durst | Penumbra Foundation, 36 E 30th St, Manhattan | (https://www.penumbrafoundation.org/artist-series) |
| May 15 | 12:00 PM | “Twin Cities: Held Together” Talk/Reception | Magnum Foundation, 59 E 4th St, Manhattan | (https://www.magnumfoundation.org/events) |
| May 15 | 6:30 PM | Photobook Talk: Musuk Nolte + Marco Garro | Bronx Documentary Center, 614 Courtlandt Ave, Bronx | (https://www.bronxdoc.org/events/upcoming-events/) |
| May 16 | 11:00 AM | Brooklyn Bridge Street Photography Walk | Starts at ICP, ends at Photoville, Brooklyn Bridge Park | (https://photoville.nyc/events/) |
| May 16 | 3:00 PM | Alumni Photobook Share | Baxter St at CCNY, 154 Ludlow St, Manhattan | (https://www.baxterst.org/events/alumni-photobook-share/) |
| May 16–30 | Varies | Photoville Festival 2026 (Ongoing talks and tours) | Brooklyn Bridge Park & Various Locations | (https://photoville.com/) |
| May 17 | 3:00 PM | Book Signing: Inez & Vinoodh | Dashwood Books, 33 Bond St, Manhattan | (https://www.dashwoodbooks.com/featured.php) |
| May 18 | 6:30 PM | Photobook Talk: Cengiz Yar + Victor J. Blue | Bronx Documentary Center, 614 Courtlandt Ave, Bronx | (https://www.bronxdoc.org/events/upcoming-events/) |
| May 20 | 5:00 PM | Creating Iconic Band Portraits w/ Jeremy Saffer | Adorama Event Space, 42 W 18th St, Manhattan | (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/all-access-creating-iconic-band-portraits-with-photographer-jeremy-saffer-tickets-1988403215544) |
| May 20 | 5:30 PM | Gallery Tours: Inside Voices, Outside Light | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, Manhattan | (https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/event-series/gallery-tours-inside-voices-outside-light/) |
| May 21 | 7:00 PM | Decomposition Book: Sara Van Os + Rachel Harrison | Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway, Manhattan | (https://www.eventbrite.com/b/ny–new-york–prospect-heights/hobbies/books/) |
| May 26 | 6:00 PM | “After School”: Talk & Performance with Angela Chen | Printed Matter, 231 11th Ave, Manhattan | (https://www.printedmatter.org/programs/events/2258) |
| May 26 | 7:00 PM | i3 Photo Lecture: Alvaro Keding | SVA, 136 W 21st St, Rm 418F, Manhattan | (https://sva.edu/events/i3-photo-lecture-alvaro-keding) |
| May 27 | 5:00 PM | Politics of Light | Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), 11 W 53rd St, Manhattan | (https://www.moma.org/) |
| May 27 | 5:30 PM | Gallery Tours: Inside Voices, Outside Light | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, Manhattan | (https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/event-series/gallery-tours-inside-voices-outside-light/) |
| May 30 | 11:00 AM | ICP Photobook Club for Teens | ICP, 79 Essex St, Manhattan | (https://www.icp.org/events) |
Note: This comprehensive list was generated by actively scraping the internet for the latest schedules, gallery updates, and event listings across NYC institutions, museums, and ticketing platforms to ensure you don’t miss a thing!