Snowstorm<br/> <a href=http://www.mariaszulc.net>http://www.mariaszulc.net</a>

I don't know about the rest of you, but this is superb on many levels. This image alone stands with some of the best I've seen of this genre. Stiglitz and Strand would be proud of this image were it theirs. I would love to know how I may obtain a print. I would love to have this hanging in my gallery. As to a discussion of the technical merits, this hits the ceiling. As to whether the figure should have been "placed" differently? That is a moot point because he helps anchor the scene and give it real depth and that human touch. This image comes alive with him included. The sense of him going away is wonderful. A responders mention that the "placement" of him in the position of thirds, is irrelevent. It is not a cliche by any means. Going away creates tension within the scene. I love it.

If that's the way Maria chooses to present it, if acceptance of minor imperfections is a deliberate part of her style, then surely that's the way we ought to consider it. The tilt arguably gives it an edgy natural feel that is lessened by the 3° "correction".

 

It's a great picture. Congratulations Maria.

Even though I would much rather celebrate the other three seasons of the year your photo says it all.Poor fellow looks like a citizen of food deprived Leningrad during WW II.

A true classic picture!

 

Well done. We should all learn form your shots that we should get out more and shoot more like you did in the bizzard.

This definitely makes me feel cold just looking at it. It wouldn't be half as strong without the man in the shot. Not sure what he's doing, but just seeing someone out in that weather makes me feel bad for him, like he has no choice. I'm SO glad I now live in S Texas instead of Northern Canada, where I was raised!! :)

Regarding the tilt, I don't see it as an imperfection. Seems more like a great idea to me. Seems to add to the feeling I get in the picture that not only the snow, but the buildings and everything else are out to get this poor guy. great shot.

OK, call me crazy (I've been called worse things) but this image certainly makes me shivver in my boots... brrrr... it's cold! Yes, the grain works well, and the tilt is what makes this image stand out! Hey, I hope you were bundled up! These NYC snow storms can get pretty mean when the wind blows the snowflakes sideways! Great show... Good show! How about showing us more? Thanks for sharing this (brrrr) image with us (like we need a reminder? :) ).

Great photo. The lines and the tonality just let you feel the whipping sleet. And it wouldn't work without the human figure to anchor it. I love the fire escapes.

For me, the placement of the man going out of the frame works because this tells me that he is trying to get the heck out of dodge. Although, Ill admit Id like it better if he were walking towards me (also walking away from the frame) so I can see his face and his expression. Im torn between these two choices, but I still like the photo. I just cant tell how much I like it as compared to the one in my mindmaybe once I see it a little longer. Cant say I relate to the shivering feeling some have described, I guess you have to have lived in a place like this to know the feeling. I live in the west coast where my worst cold days drop into the thirties but my worst hot days run into the hundred-and-tens. Which, by the way, this reminded so much about this song, that I thought Id share it.

 

L.A.'s fine, the sun shines most the timeand the feeling is 'lay back'

 

Palm trees grow, and rents are lowbut you know I keep thinkin' about

Making my way back

 

Well I'm New York City born and raisedbut nowadays, I'm lost between two shores

 

L.A.'s fine, but it ain't homeNew York's home, but it ain't mine no more

This photo evokes many levels of emotion and the senses. The cold, the wind, the poverty and much more including a photographers determination to capture something on such a day. And to light meter it and to have the presence to frame something so well even while people were moving in this chaotic setting. The person moving out is what makes it for me...he battles the elements and become the prime element doing so in this story of man against the elements. The tilt would eliminate the second figure whom I think is watching the photographer, which to me is an interesting secondary human story line. A very interesting shot. Thanks, great work.

Exelent what else to say, B&W still rules...

This is real example to all of us that picture is teaken by human creativity not by tubo digital ai muli deditcated all in one machine.

F3 hase onli aperture priority automatic, no AF and etc.

Now a days we forgot tu use hands and our fingers for focusing, our expirience for exposition and what... we are no more than kvazi creative dumis behind all mighty AF-AI computer gided digital camera.

szulc, i really liked the way you captured the cold, not the one which is too evident but the one which is hidden. the "cold" harshness of the big city which you have captured beautifully is what which attracted me the most in the photograph. good eye.

Maria, Excellent shot, you captured the moment.The left bottom could be a little more defined,by bringing the tracks in the snow out a little more.This photo makes you feel the storm. Keep up the excellent work. Being out in this weather shooting, shows you have passion and love of photography.Very cool,(no pun intended) Kelson.

Maria, what a delight seeing your image in the POW spot this morning! Long overdue, imo. This is a wonderful image, beautifully exposed & composed. I wouldn't change a single thing. You have a huge talent, Maria. I've learned much from you & continue to be inspired by your work. Congratulations!

This really is art, it does look like a charcoal drawing, the fire escapes, the man exiting the door to the left, all are wonderful elements. Very well done.

Thanks for sharing your work, and consider these comments helpful or rubbish as you see fit.

I was wondering if anyone was going to complain about all the recent POW being black and white, but then along comes this picture to remind us that it doesn't matter... a good image holds up just fine without color. Also, I like the fact that the person is not facing the camera... for three reasons: 1. mystery... keeps you guessing 2. respect... not everyone wants to be photographed 3. tension... you feel for the person, sort of worried about where they are going, and how they will survive what's ahead. Having the person heading out of frame adds to this, and makes for a refreshing viewpoint. Someone mentioned you being the third person in the picture... this applies very well because I get a feeling like I'm there, experiencing the scene and environment. I live in "sunny California", but go up to the mountains all the time... plenty of snow. This picture doesn't make me feel cold, but instead excites me... "mother nature" has her way... even in the big city. Many things going on in this picture... and such a wonderful capture of the falling snow!

I like that the person's walking away; they're just part of the scene. When you can see

a face and expression, the person dominates the scene. There's too much other good

stuff going on here for that to be a plus.

 

I think this is also a photo that wouldn't have happened without film--sure, you

could've taken it with a 1Ds at ei 1250, but would you really be brave enough to shoot

a $7,000 camera under these conditions? I wouldn't!

Thank you for choosing this photograph as PoW and to all of you who consider this shot worth leaving a comment. And special thank you to all my friends for their constant encouragment to go out and shoot no matter what. Cortlandt Street is a back alley and a home to a few surviving Chinatown manufacturing places. This man is probably a worker in one of them, I've seen him there few times. It's a very interesting place and I've been shooting there since September so when I heard the forecast promissing a nice snowstorm I knew where to go.

Having just developed a bunch of rolls from this very same storm, I can appreciate what M.V. Szulc went through to get this shot. I had 60 frames, and while they weren't awful, they certainly don't grab me like this picture does. Wonderful work; it perfectly conveys the honest massacre that is Winter in the North East.

 

Cheers!

Maria, I am very very interested in talking to you about obtaining a print of this. If you can't print it, I would be honored to make you as many prints of this as you would like in any size you would like. I am a master printer and this is the stuff photographic dreams are made from. Love to talk with you. Let me know. James

... dreams or nightmares ...it's not easy to print. Thank you for an offer, James. I am struggling with my enlarger and so far produced unsatisfactory 8X10 proof prints. I think I know how to get it right but would love to talk to you. Will e-mail.

I was also wondering about the flood of Black & White photo selections but given the current choice who can complain?

Like Carl, I am often bothered by out of plumb buildings (which I attribute to my former life in the construction business). For those of you who have never been in the construction business out of plumb has nothing to do with plumbing. In this instance we are able to see the apparent cause of the distortion (crooked buildings) as wind driven snow and to our eyes that seems to make sense, at least in an anthromorphic way of thinking. Its not hard to imagine the photographer was also braced against the driving snow, which brings those of us with similar experiences into the scene as well.

The lines of the falling snow point at the solitary human figure at about a forty five degree angle and seem to give organization to the composition. I think the photographer refers to this on another photo as pattern-less pattern. The angle of the snow is important because it stretches from one corner of the frame to the other (longest line available) giving us a sense of maximum strength or force. We get many additional directional queues from the snow covered fire escapes and other building elements causing the snow to become a unifying element that any professional painter would have been proud to have thought of incorporating into a similar composition on canvas.

As stated previously, the human figure (because he is not clearly identified) becomes a secondary subject or potential surrogate for inserting ourselves into the composition. Personally, I would rather imagine myself in the photographers shoes as an inconspicuous and unseen observer. The fact is I hate pushing heavy carts with tiny wheels through the snow. At any rate the rules of compositional movement (art) trumps the rule of thirds (photography).

I think one reason why this photo appeals to me (and others) is because it includes multiple elements that allow us to identify with the scene. We can relate to what is happening so we get drawn in. The photograph is also very dynamic because we can sense movement and feel the force of the compositional elements directing our attention throughout the frame. There is also a great sense of place or feeling of being there or having been there. It looks as we expect it should look.

As a contrast of style I would recommend looking at another winter photo that also uses strong geometric lines but in a completely different manner. There is no "pattern-less pattern" concept of unity but rather a geometric unity that works better than anything else I can remember.

Click here for a comparison of styles

Maria, I have images up at usefilm.com (member-james mickelson)if you would like to see some of what I photograph. You can also check out my credentials there from the people on chat. I only have a couple images here as I am PC and scanning challenged. But I have printed for a few people here who have loved my prints of their work. I teach LF printing and photography. Again I would enjoy printing this image for you at any size you would like and as many prints as you would like. I use FB papers and finish them archivally. I really think this could go to 16x20 given a few tricks and look wonderful. Do you print this conventially or digitally? This is an exquisite image and should be given all the care it deserves. Take very good care of this negative. Let's talk.

hey James, stop it already, lol. I print on Agfa fibers. the neg is sharp so it could go to 16X20 but it is -- of course -- the last frame and with my sh*** neg carrier I get a corner slightly OOF. the other thing is that my beseler 67sc has only 50mm lens and I probably need 70 for more equal distribution of light (not too mention a serious misalignment and trouble with unpredictable light falloff and the diffuser that I made out of a piece of butcher paper, lol). so yes, i want to talk to you and i already sent you an e-mail. thank you again.

I just don't see this as that interesting. The guy is dark and indistinct. What is he pushing? Can't tell. The light on the fire escapes is nice but then that doesn't appear to be the subject.

 

I certainly am no expert, but I just don't understand all the gushing praise for this one.