An early March morning as a hint of light entered the sky, long before the sun would rise, I noticed something different as I looked out the frosty window. While the furnace fought another below zero morning I peered outside and saw a white coating covering everything outside of the house walls. Immediately I could tell it was the beginning of what should be a spectacular sunrise as the fresh coat of snow glistened from the suns rays. Do I head out with the camera to endure another cold morning or stay in the warmth and type away on the computer? Initially I was not interested in venturing out in the cold for yet another time as it was Saturday and I didn’t have anywhere to go but I did have a number of projects on the computer to work on. My mistake was glancing back outside one more time on the way to the desk and my plans for the day were changed. It was too beautiful even in the dimly lit sky for me to stay home. Besides, the camera was already in the chilled car ready to go.

It only took a few minutes to travel to a nearby park once I had all of my winter gear wrapped around me making each step feel like a flight of stairs. Along the drive I got lost in the incredible views surrounding me as an amazing frost coated most of the scene with ice crystals I didn’t recall seeing before in my life. Arriving at the park I saw the parking lot ahead of me was not plowed, but a few vehicles had entered creating a path so I followed it into a spot just before the sun breached the horizon. Quickly getting out of the car to grab the camera I headed to a place to capture the mornings first rays barely even noticing the cold surrounding me. Every step brought another unique frost crystal attempting to distract me from my destination for the sunrise. Once the sun had moved above the horizon I was able to turn my focus back to these beautiful ice formations. A few pictures told me my success would be very limited without a tripod to steady each shot on. Unfortunately, in my haste earlier in the morning I left the car without it so now I either needed to trudge back through the deep snow or continue snapping away holding the camera as steady as I could with my hands. Knowing I would not be happy with my photos unless they were clear and sharp I decided the tiring trip back to the car would be necessary and besides, in this cold the frost crystals were going nowhere.

Returning as quickly as possible, the tripod was set up with the camera on top of it ready to capture this amazing frost covering trees and shrubs everywhere. Seeing these crystals through the lens magnifying them even more to bring out their incredible structures. I began to lose track of time focusing on each branch making up the hoar frost showing its multiple layers combining together in each crystal. All of that time photographing snowflakes has now become very useful in trying to capture the details of this frost. These ice crystals where much larger and more complex than most snow flakes though and photographing them close up made it difficult to keep each portion in focus. Thankfully it remained bitterly cold so the frost persisted throughout the morning giving a lot of time to try different compositions to capture the beauty up close.

As I examined each ice crystal I could see the various layers as they developed through the night. How long did it take to create these I wondered. Are they still forming even during the morning light when they typically begin to disappear? Why are there different shapes along each branch? Some portions where rounded while others where more squared off. From a distance they appear white but when viewed up close they are clear while they no longer reflect the light that makes them look white. So interesting to study. As the morning continued on, the wind began to blow making the frost crystals more difficult to capture in focus but I continued on since this type of winter display doesn’t happen very often. I think the Northern Lights appear more frequently. Eventually I did have to stop photographing the frost to return home and work on projects which were waiting for me. Getting up before dawn and enduring the cold were all worth while just to experience such a beautiful phenomenon. Thank goodness for heat packs!