LI, NYC through Newsday photographer Alan Raia's lens

January 1, 2020

Over a 47-year career as a photographer for Newsday, Alan Raia saw and photographed it all, from world leaders and other famous figures to crime scenes and moments of everyday life on Long Island and in New York City. "His true talent was an innate ability to deal with people from every walk of life and humbly capture perfect photos," his son Alex Raia said. Alan Raia, who also went by Al, died on Dec. 29, 2019, at 85. Here are some of Alan Raia's many remarkable photographs.

Credit: Newsday/Al Raia

John Gotti with his co-defendant, Anthony Guerrieri, in court on Feb. 1, 1990.

Credit: Newsday/Al Raia

Two men take a boat ride in the water surrounding the Unisphere at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on May, 12, 1964.

Credit: Newsday/Al Raia

Elephants are unloaded from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey train on Stewart Avenue in Garden City for a walk to Nassau Coliseum on Nov. 10, 1976.

Credit: Newsday/Al Raia

The scene after gunman Colin Ferguson opened fire on a Long Island Rail Road train as it arrived at Garden City, killing six and injuring another 19, on Dec. 7, 1993.

Credit: Newsday/Al Raia

Robert Moses, 90, poses for the 40th anniversary celebration of the Whitestone Bridge on April 29, 1979.

Credit: Newsday/Al Raia

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford enjoy a light moment during a conference moderated by Robert MacNeil on Jan. 18, 1989.

Credit: Newsday/Al Raia

Designer Michael Kors shows off a jacket from his spring collection on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan on Jan. 13, 1983.

Credit: Newsday/Al Raia

President Lyndon B. Johnson is swarmed by a crowd at the Verrazzano Bridge Plaza in Staten Island on Oct. 12, 1966.

Credit: Newsday/Al Raia

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, meet with New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner at City Hall on Dec. 17, 1964.

Credit: Newsday/Al Raia

Barry Orgel of Forest Hills tries to make a phone call on Queens Boulevard during a big snowstorm in the 1990s.