Ethan James Green

In New York, Green continued his earlier practice of photographing his friends. He met potential subjects at clubs[8] and on Instagram,[2] including actress and model Hari Nef, stylist and Interview's fashion director Dara, models Marcs Goldberg and Stevie Triano, writer Devan Diaz, and artist and poet Ser Serpas.[7]

In 2014,[9] Green began taking portraits of his queer, transgender, and nonbinary friends, usually in the Lower East Side's Corlears Hook Park. Green is openly gay and captured friends and figures within carious queer ecosystems in New York.[10] The portraits, some of which appeared on Tumblr, garnered attention, and drew comparisons to Diane Arbus.[1][2] In 2019, Aperture Foundation published the portraits as the monograph Young New York.

As a commercial photographer, Green has shot covers and editorials for Arena Homme +, Dazed, i-D, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vogue Paris, and W; campaigns for Alexander McQueen, Fendi, Helmut Lang, Miu Miu, Prada, and Versace; and has photographed fashion, pop culture, and queer celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Bella Hadid, Kate Moss, Rihanna, RuPaul, and John Waters.[11]

In the face of professional adversity in 2022, Green recalibrated his career trajectory, transforming his Chinatown-based studio into the New York Life Gallery. Initially starting as a hobby, this space—dedicated to experimental art exhibitions and the promotion of emerging and overlooked artists—rapidly integrated into his professional persona. The gallery has hosted noteworthy exhibitions, such as a live show by painter and illustrator Drake Carr and the archival showcase of the late Steven Cuffie.[12][13]