Street photographer Daniel Arnold has released his latest photo book, "You Are What You Do," a landscape-format monograph published by Loose Joints that captures New York City's uninterrupted street life. Following his successful 2022 publication "Pickpocket" by Elara Press, Arnold's new work showcases what he describes as "the pleasure of drudgery" - constantly walking through New York searching for moments that catch his eye.

The American photographer has built a reputation as a master of spotting and embracing moments of uncanny harmony, transforming city streets and celebrity events into characterful tableaux. Arnold gravitates toward anomalies while remaining unnoticed, functioning as what he calls an "addict" whose addiction is "making more pictures." His work is driven by both deliberate observation and what he terms "the Alibaba factor" - moments of great fortune that surpass any deliberate manifesting.

The book's cover features a pair of bespectacled eyes that recall the all-seeing billboard eyes from "The Great Gatsby," passively presiding over human dramas. Inside, readers encounter a diverse collection of New York moments: affectionate scenes on subway cars, someone giving the finger to a helicopter from a balcony, a nomadic newspaper caught in the wind, a boy planking on the beach by the boardwalk, glittering boots moving through the night, Grace Coddington with her face buried in a bouquet, and numerous intimate moments of people sharing cigarettes, including the late "Euphoria" actor Angus Cloud.

Arnold employs a distinctive "shooting from the hip" methodology, which he describes as one personality's response to taking pictures in public. "Generally, a picture of somebody having their picture taken is not as interesting as the world uninterrupted," Arnold explains. This approach stems from his Midwestern discomfort with imposing on others and his desire to capture things as they naturally occur. The technique allows him to take quick shots while maintaining the possibility of surprise before moving on to the next subject.

Regarding his visual fixations on smoking, kissing, and children's play, Arnold admits he discovers what he "snags on" by reviewing his pictures afterward. He describes these recurring subjects as "snap storytelling" and "useful plot devices" that serve as shortcuts to internal dynamics. "It's like this prayer, this fingers crossed: I know something is happening here," Arnold says. "What if there's something in whatever I can capture without interrupting, which could lead to another story?"

When photographing celebrities, Arnold acknowledges the unique challenges their public status presents. He admits feeling pressure and an "emergency level of opportunity" that disrupts his preferred passive and observant approach. However, he recognizes that celebrity presence changes the gravity of images, making little things more meaningful and powerful. Arnold expresses sympathy for celebrities who are constantly guarded against people trying to take something from them or impose their own angles.

Despite widespread criticism that New York City has become watered down and overpriced, Arnold maintains a complex relationship with the city where he has lived for 23 years. "I feel like this is a city where everything is true. Yes, it's a husk of itself. Yes, it's an urban nexus," he observes. He notes that the city has always been regarded as a husk of itself, even when he first arrived. Arnold believes New York remains "just as sick as it's ever been," with people coming for a fantasy and truly inventing their world.

Arnold describes New York as forcing a practical reality because residents are "stacked on top of each other" with insufficient room and everything being too expensive. This creates what he calls "forced pragmatism" where residents encounter every kind of person daily and engage with every level of comfort and interest. While he experiences moments of unbearable frustration, he emphasizes that he's never bored or over the city, maintaining what he considers a healthy, alive relationship with it.

Regarding his engagement with visual culture, Arnold admits to mixed feelings about photography exhibitions. He finds them "anti-climactic," possibly due to his addiction to the process rather than results. While he recalls being inspired by shows like Alex Soth's "Songbook" and Wolfgang Tillmans' MoMA exhibition in earlier days, he now focuses his energy on working, still feeling like a beginner with much to discover.

The book's acknowledgments section reflects Arnold's practical approach, with each citation directly connected to pictures in the collection. His reference to Peter Hujar and Candy Darling stems from a photograph of his girlfriend in a hospital bed that reminded him of Hujar's famous portrait of Darling. Arnold emphasizes that his influences come more from how people function in the world than from what they create, having started with minimal photographic knowledge beyond famous works by Garry Winogrand, Diane Arbus, and Helen Levitt.

"You Are What You Do" represents Arnold's continued exploration of New York's constant change and energy. As he puts it, the city "demands obsession," but when he has time and energy, there's nothing he prefers more than "slowly walking from Chinatown to Central Park and back." The book stands as testimony to his belief that it remains "the best way to spend the day" and the most rewarding subject for a photographer seeking to document life uninterrupted.