Observatory Press is a New York City based photography project founded by WD Amstutz.

Most of my work is diachronic. It returns to the same subject over time, watching it change, accumulate, and occasionally end. Returning to the same subject with a camera is an act of obsessive attention. Over time that obsession becomes a record of something larger than the subject itself.

This site contains several ongoing and completed projects.

Every Weed Store on Broadway is inspired by Ed Ruscha. In early 2024, NYC witnessed a proliferation of weed stores with nearly 2,800 unlicensed retailers operating throughout the city. An enforcement vacuum following statewide marijuana legalization left law enforcement powerless to act. This project documents every weed store on Broadway in early 2024 before the city began shuttering these establishments later that spring.

Circles No. 2 is a typological study of circular forms photographed over many years.

A Great Tree and L Tree document two specific trees in New York City through dozens of visits across changing seasons and light.

Curly Tree is a completed essay. It is a record of one tree with two curling limbs, ending on the day one of those limbs broke and fell.

New projects will be added as they develop.

You can reach me at observatorypress.nyc@gmail.com