Tag Archives: winter

Lake Superior, Troy's Blog, Winter

Ice Breaking Up on the Big Lake

A warm late winter afternoon on Minnesota’s North Shore highlighted what time of year it was. Spring would soon be here bringing warmer days. Ice along the shoreline of Lake Superior was beginning to break apart as evidenced by little islands made entirely of ice floating out to sea. Plates of ice littered the shoreline from previous days when it broke apart. Probably from a windy day creating waves on the big lake. These plates were stacked up in all different directions as the waves washed them up on top of each other. Overnight a light snow fell covering much of the rock and ice making up the shore line just north of Duluth. It’s really a beautiful winter scene!

Vertical plates of ice

The sun was high overhead on this bright afternoon showcasing each shard of ice. Each step must be carefully placed lest you break through this often fragile puzzle or slip and find yourself face to face with an unforgiving piece of granite coated in frozen water. Worse yet, you could land in this very cold body of water. It was a warm winter afternoon but that only means the temperature was just above freezing and a dip in the water could bring on hyperthermia. This is a good opportunity to use ice cleats to help secure each step allowing the user to spend more time enjoying each barge of ice as it floats by, slowly disintegrating.

Ice floating away

Focusing more on the shoreline brings a myriad of shapes and sizes of ice plates thrown on top of one another. How did they get like this? Many of the boulders and beach were covered in ice. That is easier for me to figure out as the spray from each wave crashing into the shoreline ends in an eruption of water coating these rocks in water which quickly freezes.

The suns strength was not enough on this day to break through most of that ice protected by a thin layer of snow. Strolling along the shore brought a relaxing beautiful late winter view. But for only a short time as there was still the long drive back to the big city before heading to work the next day. A visit to the shores of Lake Superior is always a great way to spend a day no matter what season it is.

Shoreline covered in ice

Photos, Seasons, Troy's Blog, Winter

A Winter Solstice Treat

On the winter solstice I went out hoping to catch a glimpse of the comet Leonard which is possibly visible just after sunset. Unfortunately I didn’t see any signs of it and became frustrated when clouds began to cover the horizon. It was a cold night with temperatures near 10 degrees F and I was about to head back home when something unusual started to appear. My first thought was the Northern Lights. Quickly I knew this was not the aurora especially since I was shooting towards the south. A brief detour, the bright white dot just above the trees is Venus. Saturn and Jupiter are also in the picture higher up towards the left diagonally. Uncertain of exactly what was happening I continued to photograph the sky. Unfortunately my equipment was somewhat incomplete for such photography. I had a tripod but ended up having the wrong connector on the camera so I needed to figure out a way to shoot long exposure pictures. Using hard surfaces and a timer on the camera, I continued to shoot the sky all around me which you can see in the panorama below as these lights continued to hang in the night sky slowly changing. Sometimes shining brightly and then fading. The size would climb higher in the sky and then become shorter again.

I enjoyed these for about 45 minutes before they disappeared. Finally getting back into the car I could barely feel my fingers and toes. Quickly turning on the heat, I started driving and remembered seeing photos of these sky lights before but couldn’t remember what they were called or what causes them. Once home, the camera batteries went on the charger and I began to search lights in the night sky. Finally the answer was found – they are simply called light pillars. These are caused by ice crystals reflecting area lights and probably moonlight from the nearly full moon almost at the horizon. What an amazing surprise to celebrate this shortest day of the year! From what I can find, since all of the conditions which have to be just right for these to appear, they are more rare than the Northern Lights. Finally, a positive creation from all of our light pollution I guess.

Light Pillars Pano

Photos, Troy's Blog, Winter

Digging Into a Snow Drift

Recently we had several inches of snow in the forecast and I wanted to get some great photos of it. The next morning called for cold and clear skies so I headed out to a nearby park to capture images of the fresh snow before the days sunlight began to melt it away. The sky was less interesting than I’d hoped with clouds covering the horizon and clear skies above meaning no color in the clouds or sun at the horizon. Eventually the sun rose above the clouds to shower everything in warm, bright light. What I did find were patterns in snow from winds blowing strongly during the snowfall. It created some dramatic drifts carefully carved with each flake driven into the ground by forceful winds. Why does the snow remain in one streak while the rest of it was blown away?

Looking closer at one of the drifts created by the wind

What fascinates me is taking a closer look at these drifts and seeing the patterns and layers. Imagining what was happening while they’re being created. In this case, how did the snow go together in each layer? What I also find amazing is the same forces that create these drifts are also factors in how stone and sand are naturally carved – especially sandstone in the desert Southwest of the United States. Only snow drifts happen much faster so we can witness it in a matter of hours.

As the snow was falling, I took some time to capture a few of these and photograph them. It was a challenge for several reasons –  the temperatures were near freezing so they melted quickly once under the camera, they were small as far as snowflakes go, and the crystals formed in all directions which is unusual.

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In the picture above the blurry bright area on the lower right is a toothpick. This gives you something to compare how small these individual snow flakes were. Knowing how small these were makes me question what impact that had on the drifts created? If these ice crystals had been bigger, as they often are, the drifts would have formed differently with different patterns and shapes. In the top pictures there’s a very narrow drift. I’m certain it would not have been possible with larger snowflakes as they can get picked up easier by the wind, whereas these smaller ones are probably more aerodynamic allowing them to stay in place. What protected that little strip of snow? I didn’t look at that at the time of photographing the imagine so I’m not sure.

Snowflake 2

During the snowfall, these were the types of flakes falling. With each crystal appearing to be in a random direction, there were lots of interesting shapes to look at as they began to melt. One of the pieces that amazed me was how thick each of these crystals were compared to their overall size which is easier to see with larger images. One of the questions I had was did each of these snowflakes form this way or were there many small crystals that collided together to form these? It’s intriguing to think about and try to solve this question in an effort to learn what conditions are needed for such a ice crystal to be made.

Snowflake 1

Ice and Snow, Photos, Troy's Blog

Snow Frost

When the landscape became a beautiful winter paradise with frost covering all it could touch during the first week of this year, I noticed the snow glistening a little more than unusual. Upon closer inspection I saw frost crystals on top of the snow covered ground. Examining these even closer, I noticed a variety of amazing ice crystals and immediately began trying to capture these with the camera. Fortunately I had been keeping the camera in a cold location so it was ready to be used outside. Just grab a battery and head to the snow covered yard.

Frost crystals on top of the snow

This certainly was not an easy, or quick task. Finding the crystals was not too challenging. All I had to do was scan the snow from different angles and let them reflect in the sunlight similar to what you see in the picture above. The more difficult piece was to find them with the camera using a macro lens which only allows you to view a very small area in focus. Once identified with the camera, then it was getting the right angle for light to reflect showing each little groove of these crystals which can be seen in the photograph below. Once the camera was in place, these little ice formations came to life. Seeing each groove showing the stages these frost crystals grew in was extremely interesting. I could just imagine what a time-lapse would look like as these were formed. Then I began to wonder if they were done growing? I imagined so as the sun was out and the temperatures continued to rise.

Ice crystals close up

While scanning the surface of the snow I found an area where melting had started to occur creating unique shapes of clear ice. Looking closer I found this little ‘ice dragon’  which you can see below. I kept working different angles with the camera attempting to find just the right photo showing it’s interesting details. The sun was getting lower in the sky bringing an end to photographing the frost.

It was a lot of fun to see these winter formations and I would have enjoyed spending more time exploring them further but they only last for a short amount of time.

Ice Dragon

Adventure, Troy's Blog

Frost Up Close

The first week of 2021 provided some spectacular days covering the landscape covering it with frost. Each day provided a different look and frost pattern. Some days began with a light frost coating everything such as in the photo above. These days made everything appear as though out of a movie. It didn’t seem real even though I could see it. Sometimes this frost would disappear throughout the day and other days it would persist into the night.

Seedhead covered in frost with snowflakes

Another day provided a thick coating mostly in one direction on everything. I don’t know what minor changes cause these frosts to be different than those covering everything in a light coating but it still makes for a beautiful setting. The area where the above photo was taken, there was a downburst of snow earlier in the day leaving behind snowflakes to add to frost. If you look closely above, you’ll be able to see one or two.

Hoar Frost on crabapples

Another morning brought sharp ice crystals on one side of most plants which I assume is a result of a windy day during their formation. Each of these little pieces of frost reminded me of lightning bolts. Quite fascinating!

In the last photo you can make out different ice sculptures which turns out to be another form of frost created during the week. This is surface hoar frost. These little crystals formed on top of the snow. I had never noticed frost covering the snow before. How often does this happen? Something I’ll definitely be paying more attention to as they were some amazing little natural pieces of art.

Surface hoar frost cyrstals
Photos, Troy's Blog

And Winter Returns….

With spring just getting under way, winter decided to remind us that the cold is not that far away by leaving the ground covered in it’s ice crystals. Having gone by an area in a nearby woods filled with plants beginning to irrupt in beautiful flowers the day before, I decided to go back and take a look at how they were handling the new snow. It did make for a pretty contrast to see all of this green and purple protruding up through the snow covered ground. With some very cold weather expected over the next couple of days I wondered how they would fair. Would the snow stay long enough to protect these delicate looking flowers until it warms up again or would they freeze and produce few seeds?

Being covered in snow

Initially a carpet of purple flowers caught my attention when I spotted these plants the day before. While exploring the area further, looking for some nice situations to photograph, I came across the first Bloodroot of the season with their pure white blooms ready to open. The only thing was, these blooms did not appear pure white any longer when compared to snow. It’s amazing how colors can look different depending on their surroundings. Or maybe their colors takes on a pink blush as they get colder which fades back to white under the warmth of the sun.

Nearby the first Bloodroot of the season is about to bloom

I spent about an hour photographing the snow falling on these spring ephemerals before returning home to spend the rest of the day with family. It was Easter after all!

Bloodroot flowers about ready to open now covered with snow

Ice and Snow, Photos, Troy's Blog

Winter’s Losing it’s Grip

Temperatures are beginning to rise and the snow is disappearing. I’m not ready for spring yet as there are a lot of things still to do but on a beautiful late winter day I couldn’t resist. I had to go out for a little while and enjoy the sunset. I was a little nervous at first walking out on the ice but soon became more comfortable as it’s still quite thick to allow people to walk on it. There’s so many interesting ice formations as it begins to melt and the water on top adds to it nicely.

Ice patterns created from cracking under warmer days

Walking along setting up for a different photo I looked down and saw these patterns in the ice. They had such fun patterns and colors very different from the rest of the ice. It was after sunset so the lighting wasn’t as good as I would have liked. While taking a few shots I noticed these three lines radiating through and worked to capture those as more of the focus of these patterns.

The end of another beautiful winter's day

As darkness begins to engulf more of the landscape, a planet begins to shine. I didn’t check to see which one it was. You can barely make it out about 1/3rd from the top to the right of the main tree trunk in between branches. What I really liked in this photo was the shape of the tree and the reflections in puddles on top of the ice after sunset.

Melting Ice

While going across the ice I came across a pile of ice from someone drilling a whole for ice fishing. These ice chips began to melt under the warm sun and I really liked how the last few minutes of sunlight highlighted these shards. I wish I would have arrived a little earlier and spent more time photographing these.

As the sun is setting, the moon is rising on the other horizon

After the sunset I turned and saw the moon nearly full mixed in with a scattering of soft, pink clouds. I always like to capture these weathered wood pillars protruding up from the lake and this seemed like a great opportunity to do so. These close ups of the pillars also highlight some of the rough textures in the melting ice. I would like to spend more time capturing that also as they’re so interesting. It was a fun hour out on the ice before it disappears in the coming weeks.

Texture of the uneven ice as it continues to melt

Ice and Snow, Photos, Troy's Blog

Enjoying more snowflakes

People love to enter hibernation during the winter. Especially when a snowstorm is causing havoc on the roadways. All it takes is an incredible snowflake landing on my sleeve and I’m addicted. During the cold months of the year I keep much of my camera gear cold so that I can be out taking pictures in an instant. Photographing these little ice crystals is fun but what’s even better is seeing them up close and exploring each ridge or crevice. Many are incredibly beautiful when viewed in detail. I keep trying to get some great photographs of them but have yet to succeed. Viewing snowflakes in a photograph is enjoyable but also disappointing. There’s always an area that’s out of focus and I can never seem to capture. The 3-D aspect capturing each detail that makes them so captivating to me continues to elude my pictures.

The snowflake above is probably the best one to fall in front of my camera over the past few snow falls. I love the clear, symmetrical center and all of the patterns radiating out from the center. I just keep studying each ray and wondering how they formed, fell from the sky with the high winds accompanying that snowstorm, and landed on the purple glove I was using all without breaking.

Ice flower

This was another ice crystal that I couldn’t wait to examine up close and capture with the camera. The frosted edges created a beautiful outline of the petals in this snowflake. Again the clear and symmetrical center is so amazing to me. I know the hexagon shape is the base for many snowflakes but it always has me wondering why. What forces cause this to be the most stable formation for ice crystals whether it’s flatter flakes like this or even columnar ones or the multiple combinations in between?

Clear flakes

The group of snowflakes above appear to be incomplete. Like they fell before finishing their design. What could have scared them out of the sky early? More likely they were evaporating before I could capture the complete flake. Most of the time these little pieces of ice art show up better with a darker background but once in awhile I like to see them as a sort of x-ray. It’s just a little different way to view them. Often a single flake makes a beautiful photo but sometimes there are too many interesting snowflakes and the only way to photograph more is to take a picture of a group of them.

Frosty edges

Another snowflake that captured my attention when I first spotted it was the one above. It also has the frosted edges which seems to really highlight the clear ice closer to the center. Such an interesting contrast to me. It also makes it so much more visible against the background. I love the curvy lines in between each ray. What causes that during the formation in the clouds? These make each ray of this flake unique like they were all in slightly different parts of the cloud when they were created.

Below is another group of beautiful ice crystals. Each one different from the one it’s touching. I was experimenting with different backgrounds to see what I like and if I can come up with something different that might still provide an interesting contrast to these snowflakes. Ice crystals are something I’m hooked on. Since these couple of snowfalls the temperatures have warmed just enough that we’ve been experiencing more rain in central Minnesota so I haven’t had more subjects to work with as often. But when I do you can be sure I’ll be out trying to capture better photos.

A group of snowflakes

Ice and Snow, Photos, Troy's Blog

A Little More Time With The Ice

Snow is expected to begin overnight so all of this newly frozen water will be covered. And most likely covered until it thaws in the spring so this would be the last opportunity to photograph clear ice. I decided to take advantage of a nice afternoon, although the wind was picking up making it feel a bit colder. I was hoping to capture some interesting pictures of this glass like ice. A nice black and white picture was still a goal of mine this fall I would like to achieve. But more than that a beautiful sunset reflecting off of this ice would be great. As the afternoon wore on clouds moved in hiding the sun. With about 30 minutes to go before sunset the skies were just a dull grey. Disappointed I was debating on weather or not I should just head home as there would be no colorful sunset on this night. I ended up talking myself out of calling it a day and going to warm up as I was cold and shivering. I’ve spent all afternoon outside walking and searching for interesting subjects hoping to end the day with a sunset. It was only a few minutes more until the sun falls below the trees. I should stick it out until then. And thankfully I did as the clouds began to break up near the horizon giving an amazing sunset. You just never know. Often times the sunset can be a bust with grey skies turning to darkness but sometimes a little light peaks through and rewards those who are paying attention with almost magical colors.

A shell frozen in the ice

Earlier I came across a shell frozen to the top of the lake. How did that get there? An interesting contrast of summer and winter I thought. Also, the ice had an interesting jaggedness to it. From above the ice appears almost smooth and was quite slippery but closer to the surface you could see all these different grooves and bumps. It was anything but smooth. I spent a little time trying to compose some interesting pictures capturing these different aspects with only moderate success. I like the photo above because it shows the shell frozen to the ice along with the spirals. The photo feels like the shell is stuck there for all eternity. In the next picture you can really get a sense of how rough the ice is. Most of the bumps in the shape of a rectangle which really was intriguing to me. Why did the water freeze in these patterns? Was it because we had some very cold weather freezing the water very quickly? Would there be different patterns if the water freezes more slowly?

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Scouring the ice near shore, as it was not thick enough to walk on safely yet, I saw this trail of footprints left in the remaining snow near the shoreline. I like how each footprint is turning a different way as the goose waddled further onto the ice. For me it’s just a fun pattern in the snow.

Footprints in the snow

Winter on the calendar is just around the corner. We’ve been experiencing winter conditions for several weeks now which is way too early for me. I’m not ready for another round of snow and cold yet. Getting out with the camera lately has been difficult. I would much prefer staying inside where it’s warm right now which is a change from the last several years. I’m trying to remind myself that I just need to dress for the weather to enjoy our winter landscape. Snow brings with it some very interesting subjects. The difficult part is those interesting subjects usually don’t show up on my schedule. I need to take advantage of a situation when it arrives. Hopefully I will begin to enjoy this season once the holidays have passed and daylight begins to increase again. This may be the year I take a week to escape to a tropical destination.

Just after the sunset

Photos, Troy's Blog

Playing with Fowl Ice

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Most of my posts have been about summer adventures because I’ve been captive with projects and haven’t been getting out with the camera much so there’s been nothing recent to really publish. The cold has been setting in with the occasional snow flake flying bringing a layer of ice on to many of the nearby lakes. I wanted to try and get out to capture some of this ice because parts of it are almost as clear as glass. My first concept though was a circle of waterfowl. On a nearby lake there has been a small portion of open water where geese and ducks congregate during the night often just standing on the ring of ice around this open water creating a circle of birds. On this morning though, several of them were already in the water swimming as the sun was nearing the horizon breaking that nice circle of waterfowl I’d hoped for. It was a nice sunrise none the less and I had made the necessary compromises so I could enjoy the outdoors with the camera. Time to adapt and focus on what was there.

A pair of geese in the golden glow of the sunrise

Most of the waterfowl were Canadian Geese moving around the ice and in the water on this morning. As many were getting into the water there were a few standing on the edge of the ice. I thought they provided a nice silhouette against the golden sun through clouds. All I needed then was something interesting in their actions. Scanning the group I noticed two geese, possibly a pair, staying near each other. I liked how they’re looking at each other with some reflection in the golden ice. Once took a few photos as the sun was rising I moved so the sun was now shining on these geese and watched further. What I was really looking for was an eagle flying overhead causing these ducks and geese to all take off or to see an eagle float down from the sky trying to get something for breakfast. Eventually a young eagle did appear but it ended up continuing overhead towards another location.

All hail the sunrise

Once the sun appeared from behind the clouds I noticed all of the geese and most of the ducks face into it. Were they trying to absorb any warmth from the fresh sunlight on this cold morning? It didn’t last long before they continued moving around into and out of the water with some flying off. Over the next half hour or so most of these geese took to the air likely going in search of food for the day. During this time I could hear a familiar sound off in the distance. As I watched the sky the pure white forms of Trumpeter Swans came into view. I followed them as they circled once overhead before coming in to the open water with a larger splash making their presence know to everything around. Once they had a chance to look around they began to swim towards me. Where they looking for the best food spot or did they want to check out what I was doing? After a short time closer to me they resumed feeding and swam back with the other birds still there.

Trumpeters examining the open water

While standing on the beach looking around for something that might make an interesting photograph I caught a trio of Mallard ducks getting closer and closer. They were still in the water when I first noticed them so I remained near my camera just in case but tried to continue appearing as though I wasn’t really paying attention to them. Eventually they made it to the edge of open water which prompted me to get back behind the camera. They hopped up on the ice, one by one, and waddled to the beach making their way closer to me. Their bright orange feet stood out in such stark contrast to the brown and white of the surrounding landscape. After a few pictures they returned to the water ending our photo shoot.

Beachcombing

Having fun watching the waterfowl I decided there was enough light in the sky now to work towards my next goal for the morning. Photographing subjects with this nice clear ice covering much of the lake. There was very little success for awhile. A few photos started to show the patterns in the ice reflecting the sunlight. And then I spotted a leaf curled up on top of the ice with the sunlight shining around the oak leaf. Black and white was my objective with some ice pictures. That focuses the interest more on shapes and contrasting elements. This leaf photo was my favorite from the morning with the bright, back light highlighting the rounded lobes of this leaf against the straight lines crisscrossing in the top of the ice. One of the most interesting parts of this picture is the midrib and petiole of the leaf and how it curves through the photograph. An enjoyable picture for my first morning out in awhile.

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Another picture with some interest in a red oak leaf with its lobes reaching up through the snow. Reaching for warmth and daylight from the cold snows grasp. The sharp points at the tips of the leaves in contrast to the rounded pieces of ice surrounding it and covering it. After this my time was up and I needed to return home. A much needed morning out watching the world come to life for the day.

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