Moments of Cold Vigor

8 images Created 20 Apr 2024

The waves crash against the shore with an intensity that feels raw and powerful, their force magnified by the cold bite of winter. As the water smashes into the solid, but temporary ice landforms, shards of ice explode into the air, scattering like glass splinters caught in the wind. A fast shutter speed and a cautious footing allows me to capture this ever changing and extremely rare event. Each wave is like a violent breath of the lake, pushing forward with a fierce, frosty determination. The sound is sharp—an urgent crack of breaking ice followed by the relentless thunder of water hitting solid ice.

Finding an event like this is rare as the offshore ice must be agglomerate. The edge of the ice sheet is being broken by waves and the resulting ice pieces (agglomerates) drift along the shoreline, accumulating on the edge of the more solid ice. The second component that makes this event rare is a strong easterly wind that creates the wave motion to push the agglomerate ice against the ice cliffs with force. And lastly, there is the technical challenge of capturing and stopping the motion of the ice and getting into a good, safe position on the melting cliffs.
View: 100 | All