Working Class Beauty with Photographer Pat Callahan

I’d like to tell you about someone who’s become both a friend and a photographer I admire. His name is Pat Callahan, and he’s our featured photographer in the October 2025 issue of Street Photography Magazine.

Here’s the funny thing about how we met: I’d known Pat for over two years at our gym here in Charlottesville, Virginia. We’d play pickleball together, exchange pleasantries, the usual gym-friend routine. Then one day while waiting for a game to start, we had a casual conversation and he asked what I did for a living. When I told him about Street Photography Magazine, he said, “I do street photography.” I was floored. Later, I saw some of his work on Instagram and realized this guy is the real deal—a genuine talent hiding in plain sight on the pickleball court.

What strikes me most about Pat’s work is the joy in it. When I look at his photographs, two words come to mind: Life Magazine. There’s something about his images that captures everyday people in everyday scenes, yet reveals something extraordinary. His approach reminds me of the photojournalism that made me fall in love with photography as a kid. Pat himself is a joyful, friendly guy, and that spirit shines through in his work.

Pat’s journey into street photography took a serious turn when his wife Julie was assigned to work in Bratislava, Slovakia. As he puts it, “I realized it’s what I really like and it’s what other people like.” That realization led to his first exhibition at a cafe in 2015. This past year, he had another exhibition at the historic Albrecht House in Bratislava—a full-circle moment celebrating French culture through his street photography work from Paris, where he maintains an apartment.

What I appreciate about Pat is his democratic view of equipment. He’ll show you images and challenge you to guess which were shot with a camera and which with his phone. “It doesn’t matter,” he says with a grin. What matters is being ready, keeping your heart and eyes open, and recognizing those fleeting moments that tell a human story. His work has been published internationally, and he continues to travel between Charlottesville, Michigan, Paris, and destinations around the world, always with a camera in hand.

Today we’re going to talk about his approach to street photography, his recent exhibition, and what drives him to capture the working-class neighborhoods and everyday moments that most of us walk past without noticing. So have a listen to my conversation with Pat Callahan—world traveler, street photographer, and one of the most genuinely enthusiastic people you’ll ever meet.