For more than 20 years, the street photographer David Battel has stalked Midtown with a Leica in tow. Most days, he arrives at the height of rush hour and aims his lens at those pounding the pavement, a heterogeneous pool of commuters, tourists, artists, students and scraggly folks who flow into and out of Manhattan.

Mr. Battel moved from Michigan to New York 30 years ago, fascinated by the images of photographers like Garry Winogrand. And Mr. Battel’s photos pay sly homage to Mr. Winogrand: Shot in black and white, they capture solemn men and women who seem to have been transported from an era long gone.

“I literally edit 10,000 people in an hour,” said Mr. Battel, describing how he finds each subject.

What captures his attention amid the bustle? Anything, really. A hat, an expression, an energetic gait — he can’t put his finger on it. “When I see it,” he said, “I just know.” Although some portraits seem posed, Mr. Battel insists that his best are taken when both he and the subject are on the move. “Once I stop to think about the shot, it’s over,” he said.

Most of his photographs have never been shown, but in an effort to “avoid becoming another Vivian Maier,” he began to show them last year and attracted interest: Through July 10, an exhibition of his photographs, “Out of Time,” is on view at Rick Wester Fine Art in Chelsea.