We have not had accumulated snowfall for the months of January and February in Chicago. This has not happened in nearly 150 years. So I was glad that I went out on a heavy snowfall day back in December. The snow was wet and the flakes were big. I took advantage of the weather-sealed camera and lens combination of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 and the Fujinon XF35mmF2. I wore a good water repellent coat and a great pair of boots, but my pants were soaked in some spots so I was not completely comfortable. The camera and lens though? They performed phenomenally.

I wanted to show park spaces in downtown Chicago devoid of human presence. These spaces are often populated when it is warm so my goal was to show the exact opposite. It was a gray day and I decided to present the images in gray scale. Fujifilm's Acros film simulation is beautiful. Despite the highly-touted quality of the jpegs I used and worked with the RAW files.

This group of 106 head- and armless bodies is called Agora. They are iron sculptures crafted by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. They wander in every direction just off the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Michigan Avenue.

This scene has become one of my personal favorite images. I was not particularly a fan of this park space at all, but it just looked so beautiful at the moment I walked by. I liked the symmetry of some of the scene. I actually got this one in one take. As you may know, we're not always so lucky with our shooting. Sometimes I take frame after frame and get nothing and move on. This was one of those happy moments I have as a photographer, knowing that I got the shot right away.

I made one decision to disturb the continuity of the series. The red and yellow sculptures in this park added a pop of color to an otherwise gray day and environment.

Click on images to view on black.