In 2013, Martha Cooper celebrated her 70th birthday in grand fashion. She had a shoot planned in Manhattan to photograph a massive street art mural. When she arrived to take the photos, she discovered the mural was actually a giant birthday card to her from two well known street artists, How and Nosm. The entire thing was a clever ploy to get her to her own surprise party. As word spread via social media about NYC’s latest graffiti installation, more and more people starting showing up to the party. Before long, there was a waiting line of well known writers, artists, photographers, and fans all waiting to have their photo taken with Cooper.

You see, though she’s a photographer of many things, Cooper has a reputation for being one of the best graffiti and street art photographers in the world. Getting her start as a photojournalist for the New York Post, after an intership with National Geographic, she was at the forefront of the graffiti revolution that painted New York City throughout the 1970’s and 80’s. She immereserd herself in the culture when it was still fresh and new, slowly building her reputation as the graffiti photographer.[Read More…]