It is kinda strange to think about that this image was made the same day as the previous post on bark. The two almost look like they were taken at opposite ends of the world. Sometimes you really don’t know what you are going to get on any particular outing.

I was up early in the morning this past Sunday as the forecast looked like there might be an interesting sky. It was darn cold – around 10 deg F with 20 mph ripping winds. That in itself tends to put a damper on my motivation. I really don’t like the cold. I don’t know how long I stayed in my car contemplating if I should go walk around, let alone out on the ice of the frozen lake. The sky wasn’t really turning out like I hoped it would.

But I did, heck I was up anyway. I don’t particularly like walking out on lake ice either. There are always crackles and creaks going on, no matter how thick the ice may be under your feet. There were a few dozen ice fisherman also up this morning (crazier than ice photography I think!!), but they were all congregated closer into the bay. I was nutty one hunting around for some simple foreground shape. Ice was piled up all along the shore, but it made the foreground look pretty cluttered. So this lonely ice block caught my eye – but it required me to go out on the frozen lake.

I played around with various angles while the light was coming up, and finally ended up on my belly – flat down on the ice in front of this thing with my wide angle lens. The wind was ripping, I was already feeling pre-frostbite in my cheeks, but I had to get my ice block picture. (Yeah, my eyes are rolling too!)

And the result – well – I think it’s an OK shot, certainly not due to lack of my persistance in trying to make something of the morning. I suppose the two images highlight the diversity in subject matter I like to shoot – it may be an ice block in the morning, some bark in the afternoon, and if I am lucky – perhaps that sneaky barred owl will show himself again.