Ice sheets beneath my feet, Lake St. Clair, Michigan Image # WI-9556
It is that time of year when I start thinking about photographing on the ice. However, with the extremely mild temperatures this year, I am doubtful I will be able to walk out on the ice like I did in this shot a couple of years ago.
This lake, Lake St. Clair, is about a half hour drive from where I live. This spot reminds me of the unique gems we all have quite close to home. However, it is interesting that this “gem” really isn’t much photography-wise any other time of the year. I have visited here spring, summer, winter, and fall time – and really it is only when it is frozen over in winter that it draws me to photograph.
I like it not only for the uncluttered horizon, dramatic winter light, and the interesting ice formations, but that it helps me forget what it can be like other times of the year. The other seasons tend to get me a little disgusted with all the trash left by fisherman, people that don’t pick up after their dogs and other recreational users of the lake. The shoreline is lined with concrete rubble, accumulated bits of plastic, and usually algae mats from poor lake conditions. In the summertime, this lake often has beach closings due to E-coli and can be quite crowded with boat traffic. So at other times of the year, this spot can be the epitome of the disrespect for the environment by some. Winter brings about quite a contrast to this, and quite the “cover up.”
In winter, I am usually out here all alone, the human impacts are typically covered by snow and ice. It can be a place that looks deceivingly untouched and remote, if only for a short while. It brings about more involved thoughts about our relationship to the environment, why we chose to photograph the good things, and how photographs can really be quite limiting in how much they reveal about a place. In winter time, nature does quite a housecleaning job here. One worthy of a maid-of-the-year award. As the climate grows warmer, it makes me think about how it is getting harder and harder to cover up our messes.
I’ll keep it short: I’m just sucked into this photo. Simply a marvellous feeling.
I just had to come back for another look at this image. It’s the ice. It reminds about old bone, making me think of our World, how many now a days very well would use the epithet ‘the old World’ for such an untouched place like you have photographed, since to them, the nature is slowly becoming like the dinosaurs, extinguished.
Hi Ove, thank you very much. I think that nature will prevail long after we destroy ourselves, it is just sad about the species that we take down with us. That is what I like about this spot, it can look quite primitive in the winter time, most human impacts are absent. However, as the post implies, looks are deceiving.
Mark – re: sad about the species we take down with us – that is exactly what I was thinking yesterday, as I was thinking about this post. For me, that is the real tragedy of our actions.
— Jack
A lovely image & thought-provoking article, Mark! It’s a rare outing when I don’t run across some litter that has me cursing our thoughtlessness as a species. I’ve carried cans and bottles and candy wrappers out of some of the most beautiful spots on the planet, all the while wondering how on earth anybody could have stood there and decided it was a good resting place for their litter. I suspect pj is being too gentle with his slap up ‘side the head; a solid Clue Bat is probably more the tool for the job. :-/
OK, rant mode off now – just happened to press one of my buttons with this article. See, I told you it was thought-provoking! :^D
— Jack
Your rant is commonly felt Jack. Thanks a lot.
This is a really beautiful image, Mark. Without your description, I would be thinking of a pristine lake, with relatively little human impace; I’ve got some similar images of my own.
Most people feel that if the mess isn’t in their backyard, it isn’t really a problem. I feel like the real problem is that our perception of our backyard is too narrow.
Anyway, good post…you’ve definitely got me thinking…
Thanks Greg. I agree, that whole “not in my backyard” issue is spread to so many different things isn’t it?
We all dropped something in the middle of the Pacific Ocean; a big conglomeration of plastic. You do a great job of getting us to think. Here you put a superb photograph with it. My father was the primary photographer for a book called, “The Last Redwoods” that helped in the campaign to make Redwood National Park. Unfortunately, “The Last Redwoods” turned out to have the least sales of any of the books in the famous Exhibit Format Series that helped make many American national parks and wilderness areas. Dad was also the photo editor of “The Last Redwoods.” He put in a mix of his own images of beauty and of the destructive logging practices at the time, made by himself and others. Sierra Club leaders decided that it was the photographs of devastation that caused the book to under perform. They came out with a second edition of the book without any of the “ugly pictures,” but it didn’t do much better. It has happened over and over that people just don’t buy or support images that show the ugly truth, unless in a journalistic context in a newspaper or magazine article, not in book or exhibition form. Some photojournalists are able to dedicate their careers to showing Man’s inhumanity to Man and the Earth, but fine art photographers don’t seem to get the chance to share in that sort of expose. Writers seem to be the most respected in this line of work. You have written well about it here. Thank you.
David, thank you for your thoughtful comments. I wish it was a requirement that a satellite cam of the Great Plastic Patch was required to be broadcasted inside every supermarket and shopping mall. Sadly, it is quite out of sight and out of mind for most people.
I know a lot of people want to mentally filter out the bad stuff about our species and population growth, and perhaps that is why such books don’t become big sellers. With so much negativity to be found, I think a lot of people just shut down completely.
Terrific shot, love that colors, clouds. Thank you Mark, hope that folks from yout town gona watch this pick’s, and they won’t leave any trash
Thanks Richard.
Oh, my gosh, Mark!!! This image knocks my socks off!
We have a new hotel at our overnight in Kansas City. Yesterday morning I took a walk around the hotel and found this small open area surrounded by small groves of trees. Off to one side is a gully for holding the run off from the streets. Down in the gully we can see plastic grocery bags, Styrofoam plates, and other assorted human trash. I can see where wind brings in this trash but I do not believe the wind brought in the old rusty washing machine. You said it well, “the epitome of the disrespect for the environment:” -(
If we impact “one” person with our images then we have succeeded. I have a collection of images in LIghtroom called “You Dropped Something.” The images are all of trash and garbage people leave behind, which is on our city streets or our national parks. Not sure what I’m going to do with it but have a voice inside telling me to keep it.
As a final note I want to mention this image knocks my socks off!
Note to self: Buy Monte some socks, it’s winter time after all. 🙂 Thanks Monte. I really like that title “You Dropped Something.” Actually, I think it would make for a good collaborative project of many photographers – photographing the “droppage” in their respective areas.
Hey Mark…I guess what it points to in the end is the idea of photographing for art vs the idea of photographing for a specific social cause or in an attempt to generate change. I think both have their place!
I love your winter lake shots. You know showing the contrasts of landscape, and especially the impact of mankind, is just the thing curators/galleries would be interested in. Would it make a difference? Probably not, because the people that have this disregard aren’t the ones that would ever view these kinds of shows or work, so in the end I’m not sure what the point would be. The rest of us know it happens, are disgusted by it, but feel powerless to stop it from happening.
Thanks Roberta. Yeah, it would probably make for an interesting exhibit, but I doubt interest in this small local area would draw the crowds a gallery would hope for. The real challenge is making the people that throw trash around change their habits. I think it starts with a good slap upside the head when they are kids.
Slap ’em now… it’s never too late.
I believe photography has had a huge impact on out ability to protect the environment and establish State and National Parks. But for some reason it doesn’t seem to work on the average guy on the street that shows blatant disregard for his own surroundings and environment.
Outstanding shot, really amazing.
Agreed Ken. Thanks.
I wonder if we do a disservice by not photographing the “truth” as it exist no matter how ugly and unappealing it may be. But then no one wants a 36″x24″ photo of trash, gunk and green/brown water framed to hang on the wall, do they? 🙂
The sad thing is I’m not sure photographing the “ugly environmental truth” of locations would change a thing — I guess I’m a pessimist in that regard. But perhaps there’s a moral requirement for us nature photographers to pursue this “ugly truth,” where we find it. There are places I shoot around mankind’s abuse of the environment as well.
In any case, this is a beautiful image but now I’m thinking of what lies beneath.
Beautiful warm/cool color contrast, excellent icy foreground.
For several years I did insect and flower photography on walks in a powerline easement. The taking irony of making nature closeup images in a pretty unnatural setting was always something I kept in mind. I thought about documenting the high tension towers and making a point of the contrast, but I never was satisfied with the images I tried.
Thanks Tom. I know exactly what you mean.
Earl, that is along the lines of my thinking – is it a disservice, and would it matter? However, I don’t think there should be any surprise to anyone that there are examples of carelessness to be found just about anywhere when it comes to our environment. We all see it. I don’t feel that I would be making any powerful statements by including shots from other seasons that have litter and other debris. Would it result in people wanting to clean it up and take better care? I doubt it also.