Echoes of the Everyday by Cat Byrnes

A Visual Diary of the Unnoticed

In Echoes of the Everyday, photographer and artist Cat Byrnes transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, capturing the quiet lyricism woven into New York City’s daily rhythm. Each frame is a whisper—an echo—of lives briefly crossing, of colors flaring against concrete, of stillness blooming amid chaos. Rooted in her studies of art, history, and humanity, Byrnes reveals the beauty in passing glances, forgotten spaces, and the unspoken poetry of the streets. Her images shimmer with memory and emotion, blurring the line between documentation and dream. Echoes of the Everyday is not just a body of work—it’s a love letter to life’s in-between moments, where the personal meets the universal, and the mundane glows with unexpected magic.

Splash Zone, City Joy

Sunshine, spray, and soaked laughter bounce off the pavement in this gleeful fountain scene. Kids wade and leap through bursts of water, while grown-ups lounge in the periphery, sipping, sunbathing, watching it all unfold. This is summer—wild, messy, unfiltered—and no one seems to mind.

Children playing in a public fountain while adults sit around the edge, under bright sunlight in a city park.

Goldfish Carnival Magic

A flimsy tank filled with dozens of orange goldfish glows like treasure under a fairground tent. A little crooked, a little chaotic—it’s the kind of strange, fleeting spectacle that makes you wonder how it got there and how fast it’ll disappear. A love letter to weird Americana and cheap wonder.

A goldfish tank packed with orange fish sits on a carnival counter surrounded by colorful booths and props.

Vine Wall Circle

Five women, five moods, one shared moment. Set against ivy-laced brick, they gather like a living sculpture—talking, listening, checking phones, drifting in and out of each other's orbit. It's quiet and strong, soft and unspoken—a portrait of togetherness that doesn’t need to pose.

Five women gathered in front of a vine-covered wall, each engaged in different expressions and interactions.

Sidewalk Symphonies

Crisp shadows, patterned skirts, and passing glances turn a Midtown block into a stage. A woman walks straight into frame, earphones in, eyes steady. She’s framed by strangers, all unknowingly choreographed into the city's daily dance—a perfect storm of motion, color, and quiet attitude.

Woman walking on a busy Manhattan sidewalk framed between people in bright skirts, with skyscrapers in the background.

Subway Embrace, NYC

Behind the cold metal bars of a New York subway, a quiet moment of intimacy unfolds. A woman rests her head on her partner's chest, eyes closed, as he holds her close—half-hidden behind his hand, half-exposed in vulnerability. To their left, another passenger scrolls, unaware. It’s a scene suspended between anonymity and tenderness, where love carves out a corner in the clamor of the city.

Couple embracing on a subway bench, one person resting their head on the other’s chest, framed through subway railings.

Central Park Pathway

A winding trail cuts through a riot of green in Central Park, its path softened by fallen leaves and filtered light. Skyscrapers rise in the distance like quiet sentinels, barely visible behind the thick canopy. Nature and city breathe together here—uneasily, beautifully—caught in a moment of stillness before the next footstep or breeze.

Wooded path in Central Park surrounded by dense trees with skyscrapers peeking through in the background.

Pigeons in Flight, Columbus Circle

In a sudden burst, pigeons scatter from a van’s roof, their wings catching morning light. A street vendor reaches out—part magician, part conductor—as the chaos swirls. Around them, glass towers glint, and time bends to make room for this flight: a flash of life, messy and majestic, against the order of the skyline.

Pigeons take flight from a van’s roof as a vendor extends his hand; skyscrapers rise in the background.

Tuxedos and City Reflections

Three men in tuxedos pass a mirrored facade, their reflections fractured by steel and light. One walks ahead, detached. Another smokes casually. The third meets your gaze head-on—wary, sharp, alive. It’s unclear whether this is the end of something or just before it begins, but everything in the frame hums with anticipation.

Three men in tuxedos walk past a reflective glass wall; one looks directly at the camera.

Petals, Paint, and Quiet Chaos

The corner of a creative mind made visible: drooping red flowers lean in defiance from a dark vase atop a raw wood stump, while a splatter-stained painter’s cloth cascades beside them like a paused performance. Light slices across the space, revealing forgotten tools, wilting greens, and an abstract artwork half-swallowed by shadow. It's messy, moody, and beautiful—the kind of silence that hums.

Still life of red flowers in a vase beside a large paint-splattered cloth, abstract art, and potted plant in a dim studio.

Pomegranate Daydream

Three pomegranates lounge like soft jewels in a bath of creamy fabric, caught in the kind of light that turns fruit into poetry. Shadows from a nearby plant stretch lazily across the linen, playing with shape and negative space. The whole setup feels accidental, but deliberate—like a daydream you can touch.

Three pomegranates on layered cream-colored cloth lit by dappled sunlight and casting soft shadows.

Café Light, Sugar Packet Stillness

A table becomes a theater for the overlooked: crumpled sugar wrappers, a glinting spoon, a phone asleep beside a tiny bowl of creamers. Light washes across the surface like a whisper, making quiet drama out of discarded details. It’s the kind of moment you miss—unless you’re paying attention.

A café tabletop with a spoon, sugar packets, creamer containers, a napkin, and a smartphone, lit by a soft spotlight.

GIRLWORLD : Third Printing

Available in store : Leica Store & Gallery New York, Dashwood Books, Casa Magazines, Leica Store & Gallery Los Angeles, Arcana: Books on the Arts, Pigeon Post, Shop Sunny, The Photographers’ Gallery, OFR Bookshop, 1909 Bookstore

About the Photographer

Cat Byrnes, Photographer

Cat Byrnes - Photo by Brian Zhu

Cat Byrnes is a New York City based photographer and artist. She received a BFA at Pace University in New York City for Studio Arts with minors in Art History and Anthropology. Her work has been exhibited in NYC by Photoville, Women’s Street Photographers, Soho Photo Gallery and Contact Gallery. She has been published by The Guardian, Lomography, Hunger Magazine, and F-Stop Magazine. GIRLWORLD is her first published book by Konnotation Press. Her second book, Anthology of Still Lifes, is planned to be released in Fall 2025. Her works seek to examine the private and public personas of New York City; from moody meditations on solitude to exuberant bursts of color and fervor.

Through her photography, Cat Byrnes, captures a world deferred and evokes echoes of memories through the seemingly mundane. Brief moments of time, forgotten episodes of each subject’s life, weave into the fabric of Cat’s artistic vision-- the shared humanity between us all. Cat's perspective is all at once immensely personal yet also representative of the human condition.
https://www.catbyrnes.com/
Instagram: @catbyrnes 
https://www.instagram.com/catbyrnes/
Youtube:Cat Byrnes Interview
Books: GIRLWORLD - first edition third printing | Anthology of Still Lifes - Pre-Orders
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-penman-2a0b2944/

Explore her work www.catbyrnes.com