In his "Wall Street" series of the 1970s, Charles Gatewood captured the eerie starkness of life in the shadows of New York's financial center. Between 1972 and 1976, Gatewood hung out on corners near the New York Stock Exchange. Most of the people he photographed were walking to or from office jobs that required them to dress the part.

So we have pictures of the Wall Street walkers, the darkness of the afternoon, and desolate streets. It's street photography with an strong emphasis on form and mood.

Gatewood used Kodak Pan-X, which is a very slow black and white film. He used it for more contrast. If you shoot in the street the shadow background gets dark in a nicer way. And you just get the person with a black background. He would let the background go as black as possible.