
smoking at -5"C © Lilly Schwartz 2012
This picture has a very odd summery feel to it. It doesn’t really look as if the temperature is as low as -5°C, especially since the guy smoking outside the building doesn’t even bother with long sleeves. I was standing there with 2 jumpers and a thick winter coat, scarf and the hood pulled over my head. My fingers were freezing, since I don’t like shooting with gloves and even the sight of this guy standing there in just a t-shirt made me shiver a bit more.
It reminded me of England where the cue to wear flip flops merely is a minimal amount of sunshine. In England I have seen barelegged girls in skirts, strappy tops and flip flops at 5°C. At night I’ve seen drunk barelegged girls in hot pants staggering down the street barefoot when the temperatures reached the freezing point. Later they stand in the cold waiting for the bus and swear like sailors, sniveling and sneezing, and actually asking their equally swearing friends why they are constantly ill during winter. Well, you silly girls, it’s because you are almost naked when you should be wearing a coat! It’s not exactly rocket science.
Once I was discussing this strange phenomenon with another foreign friend of mine. I said “How can they even do it? I wouldn’t survive …” and my friend replied with a rather blank expression “I guess after a bottle of vodka you don’t feel it so much …” Not exactly rocket science either.
Yes, not rocket science 🙂
rob
We are like that in Canada too, a few weeks at -20 or -30 and suddenly it’s -5 and we think oh my it’s summer!!! And everyone is running around in t-shirts and shorts because it’s “so nice out”, it’s not very bright but people do it. I remember a few winters ago it had been in the -20’s and -30’s for quite a while and then it warmed right up to 0 C and I saw some idiot girl walking around in a spaghetti strap tank top! I guess it’s all relative?
Big Smile! It’s funny what some folks do when it comes to weather and their attire. My neighbor wears shorts all the time…even shoveling snow! Great post Lilly!
The cold definitely ‘gets to me’ more than it used to…
I’m getting to the point where I’d rather look silly and be warm than fashionable and… not.
Awesome capture, Ms. S (especially considering you were so cold at the time… I can’t stay still long enough when I’m in that situation)!
🙂
lmao nice read there.
Effective use of perspective and line. Well done !