Photo Essays: A Snowy West Village

Yesterday I took the day off from work because my parents were supposed to come in and hang out, but they couldn’t due to the threat of snow. Determined not to waste a precious weekday off, I decided to venture downtown to pick up something that I “needed” (which I will be blogging about soon. It wasn’t really anything too exciting but of course I got really excited about it). Anyway, it was about the worst weather in the world (freezing, slushy rain) so I popped into Chalait to thaw out with a matcha latte. As I was sipping and looking out the window, the weather turned from freezing rain to actual snow. Instead of heading home after my latte as I’d been planning to do, I couldn’t help but seize the opportunity to capture some pictures of the West Village while fresh flurries fell (something I’ve always wanted to do). I froze my fingers and toes off (seriously – my rain boots are in no way slush-puddle proof), and pretty much drowned my camera, but it was still fun! Read on to see the pictures:

Red doors are very big in the West Village. 

Dying to visit this place: Hamilton’s Soda Shop…I almost went in but it seemed like the wrong weather for a milkshake or egg cream. Cannot wait to go though!

Sidenote: this photo session finally motivated me to buy a lens hood for my camera. Only took me about, oh, two years.

photos by me

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  1. Erica wrote:

    It looks cold but fun too! Great photos!

    Published 2.3.15 · Reply
  2. Sarah wrote:

    Absolutely beautiful!

    Sarah
    Sweet Spontaneity

    Published 2.3.15 · Reply
  3. Dana wrote:

    Amazing photos!!

    Published 2.3.15 · Reply
  4. Marine wrote:

    It feels soooooo coooold!!! Your pics were great, and are getting better. Thanks for taking us with you on this lovely walk!

    Published 2.3.15 · Reply
    • Thank you Marine! It was rather chilly, but the worse thing was how wet it was! It was still fun though 🙂

      Published 2.6.15 · Reply
  5. Holly wrote:

    Beautiful! I love falling snow, but it definitely makes photography much chillier! Love the pops of red doors

    Published 2.4.15 · Reply
    • Thanks Holly! I love them too, I can see why they're so popular. Very eye-catching.

      Published 2.6.15 · Reply
  6. Alex wrote:

    Ah, I see, a lens hood. I'm new to photography so was going to say: Great job, you brave soul! Now then–what are your tips for photographing in rain and snow? Also, I like the glimpse at the painted flat-front townhouses, particularly the lavender.

    Published 2.5.15 · Reply
    • Thank you Alex! Great question, and I'm certainly no expert, but my best advice for shooting in rain or snow would definitely be to get the lens hood. It is a small plastic thing that you attach to the camera lens and it juts out a few inches beyond it, therefore protecting the glass of your lens from the drips of liquid. If you look close at some of my pictures you can see blurry spots, and what that is is drops of snow on my lens – not a good situation from an aesthetic standpoint or for the health of the lens, I'm sure! I just bought a lens hood and it only cost eight bucks. My other advice would be to try to use the fastest shutter speed you can, so that you capture the snowflakes (fast shutters are what helps to "freeze" motion in pictures). Hope that helps!

      Published 2.6.15 · Reply
  7. These photos are wonderful Jackie! I feel like you've really captured the feel of what it was like to be in the middle of all that snow, but made it prettier! Could I ask what lens you use when taking your essay style photos of the city? I just love them!

    Published 2.10.15 · Reply
    • So kind of you! Thank you so much, you made my day. For most of my Photo Essay posts I use my 17-55mm lens. It's a great all-purpose, "walking around" lens, because the 17mm is wide enough to get a good street view or a while building, while the 55 lets you get in close with a good shallow depth of field (i.e., blurry background). Occasionally I'll use my 50mm prime lens though, as the zoom lens is very heavy! Any other photography q's, please feel free to ask, I love to "chat" about it!

      Published 2.11.15 · Reply
  8. You should try Sevilla on Charles Street sometime. Not as good as El Faro (gone but not forgotten), nevertheless, a great Village classic.

    Beautiful photos! I grew up in this neighborhood and have many fond memories…

    Published 2.16.15 · Reply
  9. So lovely. You’re making me itch to do a photo essay of the village…in spring. 🙂

    Published 3.8.15 · Reply