Marc Yankus: Fine Art Photography and Dreamlike Cityscapes

Marc Yankus, born in 1957 in New York City, began his creative path in graphic design and collage before focusing on photography. He has built a career spanning more than 40 years, blending his own images with historical elements to create unique city views. Based in NYC, his work gained wider recognition in the 2000s with digital tools allowing complex composites. His series like The Space Between and The Secret Lives of Buildings stand out for their quiet, atmospheric quality. Yankus turns familiar architecture into something slightly surreal and deeply nostalgic.

Primary Genres: Fine Art Photography
Primary Photography Style: Surrealism (dreamlike composites) combined with straight architectural photography – layered, nostalgic, and subtly imaginative
Key Message: Marc Yankus reimagines New York’s architecture by blending past and present to evoke memory and stillness. He shows the city in a calmer, almost utopian light, free from its usual hustle, inviting viewers to see familiar places with fresh eyes and a sense of wonder. His work highlights how buildings hold stories and how photography can reshape our perception of urban space.

Yankus focuses mainly on New York City buildings and urban landscapes. He shoots straightforward photographs of architecture and then layers them in post-production with archival images, textures, and atmospheric effects. The result is a muted palette of greys, browns, and soft tones with gentle haze that gives scenes a timeless, dreamlike feel. He works with digital cameras (Canon bodies are part of his kit) and wide lenses to capture broad views, often under natural overcast or soft light. In Photoshop, he composites multiple images—sometimes 10 to 20 layers—adjusting contrast, colour, and fog to create the final vision. Prints are produced large, up to 40×60 inches, and presented as fine art pieces.

For intermediate photographers, Yankus demonstrates the creative potential of digital post-production when used thoughtfully. While he starts with real photographs, the heavy compositing goes far beyond basic edits, turning documentary-style shots into personal interpretations. This approach is useful whether you shoot film or digital—learn your software well enough to serve the idea rather than letting it dominate. His patient layering process also shows the value of long-term projects and deep knowledge of a single subject (in his case, NYC). It’s a good reminder that strong fine art often comes from combining observation with imagination.

Accolades:
- Exhibitions at ClampArt, Brooklyn Museum, George Eastman House, and Library of Congress
- Work in permanent collections including MFA Houston and New-York Historical Society
- PDN recognition and features in major publications
- Book covers and Broadway poster commissions

Trivia:
- Walks extensively around New York to find and photograph buildings
- Started as a painter and collage artist before moving into photography

Lessons from this Photographer:

Marc Yankus proves you can transform ordinary city shots into something poetic through thoughtful editing. Get to know your local area deeply and shoot with a long-term series in mind. Learn advanced compositing techniques so you can blend images seamlessly rather than relying on obvious effects. Natural light and soft palettes often create more atmosphere than dramatic lighting. Most importantly, use post-production to express a feeling or idea, not just to fix problems. His work encourages patience and personal vision over quick results.