David Godlis is an American photographer renowned for his stark, atmospheric images of the New York punk and new-wave scene of the late 1970s, particularly around CBGB, where he documented artists such as Patti Smith, the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, and Television at the outset of their careers. Largely self-taught, Godlis worked at night using available light and long exposures, creating grainy, shadow-filled photographs that emphasize mood, intimacy, and the unpolished reality of downtown Manhattan rather than concert spectacle. His images have become defining visual records of punk’s formative years, and following years away from photography, his legacy was solidified with the publication of History Is Made at Night (2006) and subsequent international exhibitions.