Amazing pictures from color photography pioneer breathe life into candid street scenes from 1960s and 70s

World-renowned photographer Joel Meyerowitz has spent the past 50 years documenting street life in New York City and beyond, and now a Manhattan gallery has put together a two-part exhibit celebrating the legacy of the color photography pioneer.

Meyerowitz, 74, began his career in the early 1960s after a chance encounter with legendary photographer Robert Frank.

Through his groundbreaking - and initially controversial - work in color, which marked a shift from black-and-white photography, the form became a roving street and landscape medium, escaping the confines of the studio.

Scroll down to hear from the legendary photographer

Mad Men style: This image from 1963 depicts four women at the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City in bright shift dresses and white pumps, with their hair styled into beehive do's

Transition: Joel Meyerowitz launched his career in the 1960s, working primarily in color, which marked a shift from black-and-white photography

Unlike the carefully staged shots and stuffy formal portraits, Meyerowitz’s street scenes are pulsating with life and action while capturing a singular, unique moment.

Many of the photos taken between 1962 and 1977, which are presented in Part I of Howard Greenberg Gallery’s exhibit this fall, give off a distinct sense of the time and place.

For example, one image in the exhibit from the 1963 Puerto Rican Day Parade depicts four women decked out in colorful shift dresses, white pumps and signature beehive hairdos familiar to any fan of the popular AMC show Mad Men.

Change of scenery: Meyerowitz traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1968 to document the sun-drenched beach scenes in the resort town

Moody: This 1977 picture shows an empty porch at dusk in Provincetown, Massachusetts Food for thought: Meyerowtiz captured gritty street life wherever he could find it, like in this 1978 image from St. Louis Meyerowitz used color, as well as black-and-white film, to depict the vibrant scenes of everyday life, from a beautiful brunette smoking in a Time Square restaurant to a woman in futuristic white sunglasses walking hand-in-hand with her significant other in Central Park. Although much of his work focused on documenting New York City street life, Meyerowitz also ventured beyond the Big Apple, traveling to Florida, St. Louis, Missouri, and Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he continued documenting scenes ranging from the gritty to the frivolous. Vintage style: While much of Meyerowitz's work was in color, he at times reverted back to black-and-white photography, like in this 1962 shot from Times Square

Candid camera: Unlike the carefully staged shots of years past, Meyerowitz¿s street scenes are pulsating with life while capturing a singular moment in time, like this couple kissing outside a Times Square cinema in 1965

Back to the future: A woman in futuristic white sunglasses walking hand-in-hand with her significant other in Central Park in 1965

Through his remarkable work, Meyerowitz helped overcome resistance to the idea of color photography as serious art, making the form universally accepted.

He went on to win multiple awards in his field and had his images featured in over 350 exhibits in some of the world's most prestigious museums and galleries.