Women In Photography International announced that it had honored Sylvia Plachy for its Distinguished Photographer Award for 2004.

Plachy brings an indisputable European aesthetic to her work, especially documenting life in New York City. Moody, even surreal but tangible. I feel my toes squishing through clay whenever I see her images. Her origins in Hungary and her early apprenticeship with Andre Kertesz bode her well through the years. Her book Unguided Tour is a must-have on every photographer's book shelf. The Tom Waits record in the back is a bonus.