NY in the Snow - A Magical Vision of New York City
The book!
Huge news!
My 2nd book of New York City photography in the snow is currently available for pre-order worldwide!
Here are some Questions and Answers about the book:
I live in the United States or Canada. What is the link to use to order the book online?
United States Amazon:
United States Barnes and Noble:
Canada Amazon:
Canada Chapters Bookstore:
I like to shop at non-mainstream bookstores. Any love?
Yup! :)
Kinokuniya:
IndieBound:
Powell’s:
Books-A-Million:
Hudson Booksellers:
Drama Bookshop NYC:
I live in the U.K. or other parts of Europe. What are the links to where I can purchase your book in my part of the world?
U.K. Amazon:
Waterstones:
The Guardian Bookshop:
Blackwell’s :
WHSmith: link coming soon
I live in Australia/New Zealand. How can I order the book?
Booktopia:
What are the release dates for the book?
United States and Canada: September 5, 2017
United Kingdom, Europe, Australia: August 3, 2017
Is the book hardcover?
Yes, I am excited to announce that it is available as a hardcover book worldwide!
Front Cover:
Back cover:
I am proud to say that the printing is impeccable. I have not only included my writing but also the camera settings, cameras used, and locations for each photo…
The book is published by Ilex Press, an imprint of Octopus which is under Hachette.
Official book blurb:
The iconic city of New York is a bustling, heady metropolis that, thanks to the power of media, everyone in the world knows intimately, even if they’ve never been. But every once in a while it changes completely. At first a few flakes will fall, then more, and more. Hardened New Yorkers rush for warmth and, while they’re absent, an amazing, glistening almost deserted winter wonderland momentarily appears.
It is these moments that phenomenally popular photo-blogger Vivienne Gucwa lives for. She has been documenting them for more than a decade, rushing out to capture the city in snow. Of all the photos that have made her the celebrated, award-winning success that she is, it is these that are most loved, both online and in print, so we offer them here in a sumptous volume to be enjoyed by anyone who loves New York, whether from afar, as an occasional visitor, or if you’ve never left the Big Apple.
Any book events or signings coming up?
Of course!
The official one will be a book launch by Sony here in NYC. Stay tuned for info on the date.
There will be other book signings and events around Manhattan and Brooklyn as well.
What’s the story behind this book?
I have been photographing every snowstorm in NYC for the last 6 years. I walk up to 8 miles at a time through blizzards, nor'easters, and all sorts of snowstorms. I am forever trying to capture the feelings of loneliness, isolation, anxiety, longing, and nostalgia that are felt as a New Yorker and snowstorms are the best time to attempt such a sort of ephemeral pursuit,
Snow photography is how I express the raw, emotional feeling of nostalgia tinged with loneliness and longing. In a city of millions, feeling lonely and feeling isolation is an unspoken visceral state of being. The nostalgic aspect of NYC in the snow at night brings all of these feelings to the surface.
I paraphrased and read the intro to this book in a spoken word video set to imagery found in the book. It explains what snow in New York City means to me (plus there are snow sounds and nothing is better than the sound of snow crunching underfoot)…
What’s your story? Where are you from?
I grew up here in New York City in Queens. My family was quite poor and my parents both moved to America to pursue better lives when they were younger.
In 2008, I was still extremely broke and had very little money. I was also stressed out as I had quit my job to go back to school to finally finish the degree which I had abandoned nearly a decade earlier because I needed to work many jobs to support myself.
Living on my own since the age of 17 years old with no family support or safety net put me in the precarious position of working many jobs to keep myself afloat while living in New York City. I worked 7 days a week for quite a while and decided I needed to make a change in my life before my life passed me by and I barely explored my passions.
It took a huge leap of faith to put myself back in school. But I did. I decided to go back to school pursuing a pre-med path.
Without much in the way of material things or financial prosperity, walking became my number one way to deal with stress. It also became a way for me to experience the city like I hadn’t before. I would choose a direction and walk as far as my feet would take me.
My walks opened my eyes to a New York City that I hadn’t experienced before. I knew that I wanted to capture the moments and experiences on my walks that made my heart swell. However, I was so broke that I couldn’t even afford a smartphone or a smartphone plan. I went on Amazon and purchased the cheapest point and shoot I could find. At $79, it was a huge investment at the time. That humble little camera had one button and a few settings (one of which was broken!). I didn’t care though. I finally had a tool to explore my view and vision of New York City.
In 2009, I decided to finally post the photos I had accumulated along the way online. I knew nothing about posting photography online and had heard that blogs were a great place to post photography. I literally googled the word “blog” one evening and Tumblr came up as the first search result. I decided to create my blog, NY Through The Lens on Tumblr purely for myself as a way to view my collected images in a beautiful way online.
Since I had no formal training in photography or in-depth knowledge of the rules and concepts defining the field, it didn’t occur to me that I’d have an audience for my work. I honestly didn’t think that anyone would be interested in what I was posting online to my Tumblr blog. However, within a few months of posting my photos to Tumblr, I amassed close to 70,000 followers and I was both humbled and touched by the messages I would receive on a weekly basis.
Most of my photography is heavily influenced by cinema, music, and other art forms as I have a background in fine art (painting and art history).
I am also endlessly haunted by a sense of saudade and sehnsucht: a deep longing for a place that is unidentifiable but somehow familiar and indicative of what could be identified as home. I am on a never-ending quest to attempt to imbue my photography of cities and landscapes with this complex notion of nostalgic longing.
I am fascinated and interested in exploring how certain tones can produce feelings of different forms of nostalgia and how color or lack of color influences memory and desire.
I am currently a full-time photographer who is sponsored by Sony and my first book was a best-seller. It released in 2014. You can read about it .
I do commissioned work for Hollywood, television, ad agencies, interior designers and also sell my work as prints (and tapestries and much more) here:
Where else can I find you online?
If you are still reading, I officially love you. Thank you for reading this far into this post :).
No, seriously. Attention spans are a thing of rarity these days. That you, dear reader, have read or skimmed to here restores some of my faith in humanity. For that, I thank you!
I also recorded a little teaser of me flipping through my book today in case you are into that kind of thing (I am!)…
I truly hope you enjoy the book. It’s my most vulnerable photography because it’s my life’s passion. It feels a bit like sharing a deep secret with the world.
Dreams are always fun to share.
Hope you enjoy these dreams.
My book is now available for pre-order!!! So excited!!!!!!! Such huge news.
Vancouver, British Columbia is located on the West Coast of Canada and is an amazing city to visit.
One of its best hotels is the 5-Star and I was fortunate enough to have gotten to stay there for a bit recently.
Let me take you on a little room tour :)
I stayed in the Executive King room with a balcony and just like with all other Shangri-La hotels around the world, the interiors have a cozy feel with distinctive Asian flourishes…
and (as a coffee lover) one of my favorite things, a Nespresso machine
The room itself was positively comfy in all the best ways. Vancouver is known for its moody weather and to be quite honest, there is nothing better than having a cozy, comfy hotel room to stay in while hiding from the rain…
The floor to ceiling windows were SO incredible and provided some truly stunning views of downtown Vancouver
Even cooler? The room had its own enclosed balcony (helpful in the rain!) with some really beautiful downtown views of Vancouver
I don’t know if it’s just me but I love checking out the bathrooms in hotels. The bathroom here is decked out in white marble…
And yes, even the bathtub has a 5-star view of downtown Vancouver!
The amenities were really wonderful as well, L’Occitane toiletries…
There were also lovely little details that Shangri-La is known for like…the pillow menu. Yes, a PILLOW MENU. Can my whole life have a pillow menu?!
And every night a bookmark with a beautiful passage would be left on my bed…
Honestly, I didn’t want to leave.
Things to indulge in while you at Shangri-La Vancouver:
1) Market by Jean Georges
This is their restaurant and the food is some of the best in Vancouver. I experienced the current tasting menu during my stay and it was, hands down, one of the best meals of my life.
Definitely try the Sashimi appetizer:
And the desserts were every bit as good as they looked:
2. Get the CHI Aroma Vitality Massage at the spa in the hotel (CHI, The Spa)
It is a massage that brings together elements of Swedish, Shiatsu, and lymphatic drainage combined with the therapeutic qualities of aromatic essential oils. I experienced this while there and it was transformative.
And whatever you do, make sure you enjoy the views at night. Shangri-La has some of the best views of downtown!
I also did a video room tour if you are interested in seeing these images brought to life :)
Vancouver, British Columbia is located on the West Coast of Canada and is an amazing city to visit.
One of its best hotels is the 5-Star and I was fortunate enough to have gotten to stay there for a bit recently.
Let me take you on a little room tour :)
I stayed in the Executive King room with a balcony and just like with all other Shangri-La hotels around the world, the interiors have a cozy feel with distinctive Asian flourishes…
and (as a coffee lover) one of my favorite things, a Nespresso machine
The room itself was positively comfy in all the best ways. Vancouver is known for its moody weather and to be quite honest, there is nothing better than having a cozy, comfy hotel room to stay in while hiding from the rain…
The floor to ceiling windows were SO incredible and provided some truly stunning views of downtown Vancouver
Even cooler? The room had its own enclosed balcony (helpful in the rain!) with some really beautiful downtown views of Vancouver
I don’t know if it’s just me but I love checking out the bathrooms in hotels. The bathroom here is decked out in white marble…
And yes, even the bathtub has a 5-star view of downtown Vancouver!
The amenities were really wonderful as well, L’Occitane toiletries…
There were also lovely little details that Shangri-La is known for like…the pillow menu. Yes, a PILLOW MENU. Can my whole life have a pillow menu?!
And every night a bookmark with a beautiful passage would be left on my bed…
Honestly, I didn’t want to leave.
Things to indulge in while you at Shangri-La Vancouver:
1) Market by Jean Georges
This is their restaurant and the food is some of the best in Vancouver. I experienced the current tasting menu during my stay and it was, hands down, one of the best meals of my life.
Definitely try the Sashimi appetizer:
And the desserts were every bit as good as they looked:
2. Get the CHI Aroma Vitality Massage at the spa in the hotel (CHI, The Spa)
It is a massage that brings together elements of Swedish, Shiatsu, and lymphatic drainage combined with the therapeutic qualities of aromatic essential oils. I experienced this while there and it was transformative.
And whatever you do, make sure you enjoy the views at night. Shangri-La has some of the best views of downtown!
I also did a video room tour if you are interested in seeing these images brought to life :)
