early life and career benedict joseph fernandez iii, an american educator and street photographer, was born on april 5, 1936, in manhattan, new york city. his father, of puerto rican descent, worked as an office manager, while his mother, pamela (perella), was a housewife of italian descent. raised in the east harlem neighborhood, fernandez attended haaren high school and received a brownie camera shortly before becoming a teenager. ph…