Boston Seaport Snow Squall - A Return to the Photowalk

26-01 Stepping Out on a Photowalk for the First Time in Over Two Months

Cool Eyes — Snow settling across a mural as the storm intensifies. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Brief Update

It has been a few months since my last post. Thank you for being here, and for continuing to receive, react to, and engage with my photographs and reflections.

I am not ready to share much yet, but we lost our beloved 26-year-old son, Stephan Rosen, at the end of November. It was unexpected and devastating for our family, our friends, and the many people Stephan had influenced, supported, and connected with throughout his very brief life. It has shaken me to my core.

He was a giver who inspired people to pursue goals and interests they had not considered likely or possible. He also helped build a business that continues to thrive alongside an extraordinary partner and team, and had supported many other business ventures.

I am not able to share more right now. Over time, I may, but finding that balance remains difficult.

Sabbatical, Community, and a Return to the Work

Over the past year, I have taken what I think of as a sabbatical. It has re-energized my spirit and sharpened my focus on being more creative and more intentional with my photography.

That time has been deeply therapeutic. It has also given me space to think more seriously about reducing time spent in vocation-driven work and creating more room for pursuits not tied directly to business.

IMAGE FRONTIERS has been a central part of that journey. It is where photography and writing come together for me, and where I have been able to share work more openly and reflectively. Over time, it has also become something more than a publishing platform. In many ways, it is a quiet, grounding space. A creative refuge. And unexpectedly, a meaningful social outlet where I have formed new friendships.

Getting Back to Work

I also want to acknowledge someone whose encouragement helped me return to posting and sharing work again. My connection with Giles Thurston came through IMAGE FRONTIERS. We met on Substack and later connected over Zoom. He has experienced his own share of personal loss and adversity, and I have been continually impressed by his photography, artistic range, and nuanced use of light across genres.

More importantly, our conversations revealed shared views on family, learning, business, technology, and life more broadly.

So, for the first time since November, I am back at it. Thank you, Giles.

Another Important Group of People

Alongside IMAGE FRONTIERS, my sabbatical has also been shaped by spending more time meeting, learning from, supporting, and collaborating with photographers around the world. One of the most important of those communities has been the Photography Creative Circle with Glyn Dewis. That group, made up of roughly 80 photographers, has been a place for honest discussion about craft, process, and how images are experienced emotionally.

Within that group, one idea comes up often: people tend to respond far more strongly to photographs made in adverse weather than to images made under clear, blue-sky conditions. That insight stayed with me.

Thank You to My Family, Friends and Community

You have all been there for me and for us.

I have been deeply moved by the outpouring of support, care, prayers, and kindness from so many people in our lives from many directions. It has mattered more than I can easily put into words.

Thank you.

Boston’s Seaport Crazy Weather — Perfect for Photography

What began as what I thought would be a brief snow squall turned into a full day of snowfall, eventually dropping six to eight inches.

After walking the dogs through the storm, it felt like the right moment to head out with a camera.

In the Photography Creative Circle, we have often discussed how photography viewers respond more strongly to images made in adverse weather than to clear blue-sky scenes.

So I layered up and stepped into the sideways snow and rising powder of Boston’s Seaport District, where I live.

Boston’s Seaport Moves a Lot of Snow

Living and working in a city is entirely different than the suburbs or rural areas. In order to clear sidewalks, minimize liability and serve the community, the Seaport mobilizes an impressive crew of people, vehicles, snow moving equipment, removal trucks and scooping/dumping equipment. They work tirelessly during these storms to keep the sidewalks and streets as close to bear as possible.

My walk started outside of our building where hand shovelers and sidewalk sweepers were crazy busy keeping up.

Holding the Line — Sidewalk crews working through the squall. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Moving Mountains — Snow removal at an urban scale. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Through the Red — Layers of winter and work. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Clearing a Path — Machines replace footprints. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

One Lane Open — Slow movement, constant effort. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Heavy Haul — Snowbanks meet steel trucks lined up to haul Snow. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Unexpected Street Closure

I am still not entirely sure what happened.

Some incident left cardboard and debris scattered across the street, forcing a temporary closure along our block.

Blue Lights, Gray Day — Order inside the storm. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Sudden Stop — An unexpected closure in the middle of the storm. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

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Crossing Anyway — Cold, focused, determined. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Cleared, for Now — A brief moment of order. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

My Usual Selfie Spot

Of course, I stopped at a few familiar locations, including my usual self-portrait spot.

It looked very different from the short-sleeve summer versions.

Winter Check-In — A familiar reflection in unfamiliar conditions. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Walking the HarborWalk (Slide)

In my previous posts, I walk the harbor front with my dogs and my camera many times a day, week, and more. It never gets old! People strolling, boats in Massachusetts-Boston Harbor, Engagement Surprises, Golden Hour portraits, and Nighttime Cityscape photography. But nearly all the photographs I shoot, the weather is clear, skies are blue with puffy white clouds, and golden hour shots with such warm tones. Not this day.

At the beginning, the crews were clearing the walk, trying to keep up with the rapidly falling snow.

Whiteout Walk — HarborWalk under near-zero contrast. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

The Harborwalk never gets “old” for me or boring. Its always active at all hours of the day and night of people taking in the views of Boston, chatting with their friends and family, and enjoying the lap of the ocean water sounds against the pier walls.

Seaport HarborWalk Roof Pavillion Was Closed

Can you believe it?

Roofline Closed — Snow reclaims the stairs. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

There were piles of snow and there was actually ice on the surface of the ocean water.

Frozen Silence — HarborWalk reduced to essentials. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Ice, Work, and Play

Snow piled up along the edges, and ice formed directly on the harbor surface.

The marina iced over, except where water shuttles cut narrow paths to the docks.

In the distance, construction cranes still reached toward the final waterfront building under construction. Workers were still out on those platforms despite the conditions.

Ice on Salt Water — The marina goes still. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Around the corner, children slid down makeshift snow hills while dump trucks cleared the street in front of them.

Winter Play — Storm or not, life continues. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

And there were the strollers, out getting to a destination or simply walking-talking along the Seaport, waterfront walkways.

Footprints Forward — Persistence in white. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Pedestrian crossing a snowy intersection bundled in winter clothing during a Boston Seaport snowstorm.

Shared Resolve — Weather tests everyone equally. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Head Down — Wind decides the pace. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

I Spy, In my Eye, A Photographer Catching Me with His Eye

And of course, there other crazy photographers who were out capturing the adverse weather mood of the Seaport. Another wayward soul catching his own frame of the storm, while catching mine in the process.

Weatherproof — Photographing the photographer. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Its unusual to see large blocks of ice bumping up to the piers in Boston Harbor. And you could barely see the airport across the way, but heard the sounds of jet exhaust rising as planes ascended.

Still Dock — Winter pauses the marina. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Even the Channel by the Boston Tea Party and Intercontinental Hotel was packed with Ice!

Frozen Harbor — Ice settles where at the Boston Tea Party Ships Where they rest. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Rare, but occasionally we see people using umbrellas to protect themselves from the Snow.

Umbrella Logic — Snow finds its way anyway. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Ice as Art

And finally, the ice on salt water, provided a chance to explore some black and white interpretations of the frozen channels in the harbor.

Ice Geometry — Nature edits the surface. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Quiet Fractures — Salt water, frozen briefly. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Still, the color version of one mostly monochrome image kept pulling me back.

Quiet Contrast — Ice, reflection, and one small interruption. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

Tell Me: Color or Black and White?

If you made it this far, of all the shots in this batch I call, the “Cool Eyes”, is my favorite. I started this post with the color version and end on the Black & White interpretation. I would really like to hear your feedback on which one you like better, if at all.

Cool Eyes (Black & White) — Watching the storm pass. Seaport, Boston, MA – February 2026

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Lessons Learned 🧠

As always, here are some observations that struck me while preparing this post.

• Adverse weather amplifies story
  Snow, wind, and low visibility strip scenes down to essentials and heighten emotional response far more than clear, comfortable conditions.

• Sunny-day processing habits break down
  Many of my usual Lightroom RAW processing approaches do not translate well to adverse weather. Snowy, low-contrast, and motion-heavy scenes run counter to sharpening, highlight recovery, and shadow techniques I rely on. Recreating what I actually saw requires slower, more deliberate decisions—especially when thinking ahead to print.

• Cities reveal character under stress
  Snowstorms expose systems, labor, and quiet coordination that usually fade into the background of daily life.

• Color and black & white ask different questions
  Color pulls attention toward anomaly and contrast. Black & white asks the viewer to linger on form, mood, and meaning. I continue to wrestle with that choice. I see the world in color, yet I am constantly inspired by the power and restraint of black & white work from other photographers.

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Your Turn 🫵

I’d love to hear your take.

• Which version of Cool Eyes works better for you — color or black & white?

• When you process or view images, do you make a conscious choice between color and black & white, or does it emerge naturally?

• When you look at photographs made in adverse weather, what draws you in most — the mood, the people, or the abstraction?

• How do you respond to city life and work when conditions turn difficult or uncomfortable?

If you’d like, share what you see — or how these scenes land for you.

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Copyright Stuff

All photographs and images were taken and produced by me, David Rosen, unless noted otherwise. Feel free to share this post by linking to it, re-stacking, or creating notes to spread the word! The images are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or distributed without my explicit permission. If you’d like to use any of them, contact me at click@davidrosenphoto.com. Thank you for supporting my work — subscribe or share to stay connected with my photography journey.