Bruce Gilden is known for his confrontational street photography, using a close-up flash technique to capture striking portraits of people many would simply walk past. He’s proven to be controversial, but Gilden says he had a deep empathy for his subjects.

Gilden’s latest exhibition, Why These?, held at Fotografiska Berlin, doesn’t just question his own work; it questions the public at large: Why do these images unsettle? Why do we avoid these gazes but still cannot look away?

“Some photographers, I won’t mention any names, who are very good photographers, they photograph similar subjects, but they’re outsiders. I’m an insider,” Gilden says in a recent video.

“You know, I was a drug addict, I’ve lived a life… I’m true to myself and I stand behind my beliefs. You know, people feel that, and the outliers, they like people who are truthful. And when I take pictures, I want to take pictures of these people. I’m interested, you know. Because that’s my family. These are the people I identify with. This is my life.”

The exhibition in the German capital brings together 41 photographs, handpicked by Gilden. 19 iconic images from his major projects in Coney Island, Haiti, New York, and Tokyo to take the audience on a visual journey through his career. Another 22 large-scale prints showcase his bold shift to digital color in 2013, a move that adds a contemporary edge to his signature style.

Born in Brooklyn just after World War II, Bruce Gilden grew up in a turbulent household. As a child, he spent hours watching the “tough guys” on the street below, shaping his lifelong fascination with the “characters” he would later photograph. In 1968, he bought his first camera — a Miranda — and taught himself how to use it. His perspective pulls you into the grit of urban life: the daily routines, the fleeting encounters, the trips to the corner store. Through his lens, you don’t just see these moments — you feel the tension, smell the cigarette smoke, and take in the raw reality.

“My father was a gangster type wearing fedoras, suits and a pinky ring and driving a Cadillac, so I relate to tough, physical guys. And I’m a little bit physical myself, though less so these days. Since I started photographing I adopted Robert Capa’s mantra ‘If the photo is not good enough you were not close enough.’ My talent is getting in close and making the viewer part of the scene. And the closer I get, the more dynamic the pictures. A good street picture will smell of the street,” Gilden says.

Why These? runs daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Fotografiska Berlin.