The Story

First blizzard in New York in 2017. A day before almost any more-than-average snowfall, New Yorkers receive alerts warning them against the related potential hazards and advising to stay at home. To me, it was always ridiculous. In these circumstances, the metropolitan transit service is often partially suspended and severe delays of the subway are expected. And when something unusual, especially dangerous is going on, and everyone is advised to stay at home, it’s more than certain that I’ll go out. That day my landlord’s wife in Middle Village (Queens) spotted me through the kitchen window, struggling in the snow in front of the house with my largest fully-packed Lowepro backpack, and asked him: „Look! Is he out of his mind?!”. But Jack, the landlord, only smiled without a sign of astonishment.

Commuting to Manhattan from Middle Village was a challange in such weather conditions. Fortunately, buses were still running, but the visibility was close to zero. Anyway, I made it by bus to the Woodhaven subway station and headed to the Rockefeller Center by train.

The Avenue of the Americas seemed the most attractive at the moment for photographing the city’s life during a heavy snowfall. I was set on shooting some street instead of cityscape or architecture. I wanted to capture moments of life in New York City during a blizzard in narrow frames rather than beautiful panoramic views. I was carrying my favorite-of-all-time Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III with 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens (both of them are pieces of gear built like tanks, prepared for working in the most severe weather conditions), which enabled me to focus on photographing without worrying about the equipment getting damaged by the heavily falling snow. It was extremely cold, but all these difficult condition made the walk even more adventurous and exciting.

I spent most of the day on the Avenue of the Americas. At one point, I stopped across the street from the Radio City Music Hall, one of the city's most popular "landmarks". The sole building was interesting enough in that weather to capture, but I envisioned a hallmark yellow cab in front of it. I set a fast shutter speed in order to freeze the falling snowflakes in the air and waited until a taxi passes by.

The only regret I have about this photograph is that it depicts Toyota Camry instead of the truly American Ford Crown Victoria, which would make it way more New Yorkish. Unfortunately, these cars were already rarely seen in the city in 2017, when I made this photograph.

Location: New York City