I was on duty at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, when forecasts of a massive cross-state winter storm started to hit TV channels. The storm would stretch North East all the way from Texas to Boston and what particularly interested me was the expectation of a foot of snow in one day in New York City. I had always wanted to photograph Manhattan in an intense blizzard and the fortunate news was the storm was going to land on a Sunday when most public areas would be light of working people. Anyone sensible or anyone following the
new Mayor’s advice would not be leaving home. I am familiar with the area immediately outside the NYSE building, having filmed there before and recognised its visual potential in a white out. I had just enough time to organise our “wolf ” and his handlers to get up from California, but speaking engagements restricted me to flying in on the red eye on Saturday night and hoping to arrive before JFK shut. As it was, I made it from Salt Lake City with a couple of hours to spare and then, as predicted, the city was hit with the biggest one-day snowfall since 1905. These are the opportunities we long for and thanks to quick thinking and good logistical back up from my team, I was exactly where I needed to be. This was about to be an historic day in the epicentre of the world. By about 11am, snow was accumulating at 2 inches an hour and filming a subject further than 3 feet from the camera was challenging. However, the composition I was looking for would necessitate the wolf being very close and then working with my most extreme wide-angle lens. My preference was for the wolf ’s face to be caked in snow and the conditions guaranteed that. A bonus was that the extreme cold served to amplify the steam escaping through one of the nearby maintenance holes. This added to the visual depth of a New York story and I knew I could use the steam to my advantage. What a morning, and huge thanks to my friend - the Texan model Holly Graves - who entered this winter wonderland with all the energy and enthusiasm that I have come to expect from her. It was not a day for precious people; it was a day for those with a visceral commitment to their craft.