Taken in 1982, this was one of legendary Guardian photographer Don McPhee’s favourite photographs, and you can see why: the small child trudging up a hill in Watersheddings, near Oldham, with snow that looks as if it has been sprayed on for a film set. “If he’d taken it any earlier, the child wouldn’t have been framed so beautifully against the wall,” says Guardian head of photography, Fiona Shields. “It raises questions, too: where is the child going? Is there a parent just out of shot?” Weather pictures are a Guardian staple. “They would have been part of Don’s daily brief,” says Shields. “We still have them almost every day on our pages.” McPhee, she says, was that great combination: a brilliant reportage photographer and social documentarist, who was very artistic. But his real skill was observing the moment.”
Words: Hannah Booth
Specifications
- Exclusive collectible fine-art print from the Guardian & Observer archive
- Presented on museum-grade C-Type matt photographic paper stock
- Guaranteed archival quality for 100+ years
- 30x40cm print size, dimensions include border for easy framing
- Delivered to your door, supplied unframed
- Printed in the UK by theprintspace
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