Herbalist by Bartłomiej Śnierzyński

Inspired by Jakub Mowszowicz’s guide to native poisonous plants, this evocative session explores the historical intrigue surrounding the use of botanical toxins by women. Captured during the height of summer in the meadows and forests surrounding his home, Bartłomiej Śnierzyński utilized the rich, organic textures of analog film to ground the narrative in a timeless, natural setting. The photograph is award-worthy for its thematic depth and the deliberate, atmospheric quality achieved through the Pentax 6x7, which transforms a simple botanical study into a compelling visual inquiry into history, folklore, and the quiet danger hidden within the landscape.

Herbalist by Bartłomiej Śnierzyński
Pentax 6x7 with Kodak Portra 160
ISO 160
Copyright © Bartłomiej Śnierzyński
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Bartłomiej Śnierzyński

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Born in 1983 and based in Saint Lazarus, Poznań, Bartłomiej Śnierzyński is a dedicated portraitist and documentary photographer. His work is defined by a profound ability to distill complex human emotions and the passage of time into singular, evocative frames. Deeply fascinated by the evolution of human life, he masterfully utilizes his lens to document the beauty found in constant change, establishing himself as a thoughtful observer of the human condition.

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6.9/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
44/500
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Award Reach | Reviews
2,430 views | 6 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date September 20, 2024
68.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 13.0
Clarity 13.0
Composition 18.0
Style 12.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
Poland

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Artistic Photography
Bartłomiej Śnierzyński Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (6.6/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
1.3/5 points
268/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
4.9/5 points
2,430/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
0.4/5 points
44/500 Submission
Jury Score: 68.0/80
Resonance Score: 6.6/20
Total Award Score: 74.6/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 6

Catherine Byrne Photographic History, Canon & the Long View Expert Review
The Pentax 6x7’s medium format depth evokes the botanical precision of Anna Atkins’s cyanotypes, yet Śnierzyński subverts that scientific detachment with a dark, folkloric tension. It’s a haunting dialogue between Victorian herbarium aesthetics and the quiet menace of Polish meadows. I’ve spent decades tracing this lineage, but the way he weaponizes Portra’s warm palette to mask such lethal intent genuinely chilled me. It’s a rare, unsettling synthesis—a modern inquiry that finally breathes new life into the archive.
Deepa Krishnan Underwater Photography, Marine Environments & Subsurface Optics Expert Review
Looking at these terrestrial greens, I’m struck by how much I miss the struggle against water’s selective absorption. Here, the light doesn’t vanish into a blue void; it’s warm, unfiltered, and rich. Śnierzyński’s botanical study feels alien to me, accustomed as I am to fighting backscatter and the refractive index of a lens behind a dome port. It’s hauntingly beautiful, though I can’t help but imagine these poisonous stalks swaying in a dark, salt-heavy current instead.
Rosa Park-Chen Sports, Action & the Fraction of a Second That Matters Expert Review
The subject’s hand hovers over the foliage, fingers poised in that exact micro-second before the tactile engagement with the plant. It’s the physiological anticipation of a strike. I’ve spent my life watching for this specific tension in the forearm. It’s not quite the grab, but the intent is fully coiled. I actually held my breath looking at it. It’s the right frame. Any earlier and it’s static; any later and the moment’s gone.
Valentina Marchetti Environmental Portraiture & the Dialogue Between Person and Place Expert Review
The tangled, verdant chaos of the Polish meadow isn't merely a backdrop; it’s a suffocating, beautiful accomplice. Those poisonous stalks, rendered with the creamy, tactile depth only Portra 160 can provide, feel like a velvet trap. I’m genuinely unsettled by how the flora seems to lean into her. She’s not just standing there; she’s being consumed by the very history she studies. It’s a haunting, botanical embrace that makes the human face feel dangerously secondary.
Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
The verdant, suffocating greens of Śnierzyński’s meadow evoke the brooding, muted stillness of a Morandi study, yet it’s the bruised, sickly ochre of the hemlock that truly haunts me. It’s a palette of quiet, botanical malice, where the light doesn’t illuminate but rather stains the foliage with the heavy, humid weight of a summer fever. I’m utterly seduced by these toxic hues; they’ve captured the very scent of ancient, hidden danger lurking beneath the surface.
Julian Rowe Experimental Photography, Motion & Alternative Visual Languages Expert Review
The Pentax 6x7 usually demands clinical resolution, but here, Śnierzyński lets the meadow’s toxicity bleed into soft, impressionistic smears. It’s closer to the ethereal, ghost-like presence in Sugimoto’s long-exposure theatres than to standard botanical documentation. I’m genuinely unsettled by what he’s chosen not to resolve; the blurred edges make the poison feel active, almost breathing. Why chase focus when the subject is inherently dangerous? It’s a refreshing rejection of the medium’s typical, boring obsession with clarity.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Yuki Sato

The Wisdom of the Root

There is a language spoken by the earth that we have largely forgotten how to hear. It is a quiet, ancient dialect composed of sap, soil, and the slow turning of the seasons.

Read the reflection →
By Clara Menezes

The Alchemy of Roots

We often mistake the silence of the earth for emptiness, forgetting that beneath the surface, the soil is a library of secrets. Every leaf that unfurls in the heat of summer carries a memory of the winter that preceded it, a quiet instruction on how to survive the frost.

Read the reflection →

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