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“Contemporary nightlife photography started in New York with Nikola Tamindzic in early 2000s.”
— No Credentials documentary

Hi! Nikola Tamindzic here — I shot all those New York nightlife photos you’re here for.

Looking back, it’s kinda nuts that my whole adventure lasted just four years, but it lined up perfectly with what people now call Indie Sleaze. From 2004 to 2008, I was out night after night, shooting the downtown scene as it unfolded: raw, stylish, chaotic, and completely unaware of what was coming next.

Starting in 2004, when I began posting galleries of New Yorkers in full party mode on Ambrel.net and Gawker, the work exploded. Over 150 archived galleries. A New York Times profile. Covers of The Village Voice, British Journal of Photography, Time Out New York. Photos published worldwide. “Best Nightlife Photographer” nods from The Village Voice, PAPER magazine, and more. And more copycats than I could count. (Hi!)

So what happened? The wave crested. The party peaked. And it was time to go. The timing was strangely perfect: within three months of me moving on, the U.S. economy crashed, the first iPhone dropped, and the selfie era began.

Since then, I’ve built a new career in fashion, shooting covers for Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, and beyond, and developed a parallel path in art photography with longform projects like FUCKING NEW YORK and Assume Form.

But those New York nights still shape everything I do. And thank god for that.

— Love, Nikola