Lake Michigan. January 27, 2022

 

January 27. A little bit after 8am. Around 20° with light winds.

Shot with a 20mm, I don't know why I focused on the moving ice. I should have focused on the ice cluster as it barely made it into the depth of field.

I didn't feel like shooting this morning, feeling tired getting up at 6:30am and I knew that the wind would not be making any waves. But I knew that I could not miss the opportunity, whether or not an opportunity existed at all. I always have my gear packed and ready, just in case. So I headed out late at 7:30am with the school buses and commuters. And 15-20 minutes later I am at the lake. From my car I could see that new features had formed in the ice.

To my surprise, I saw that a recent section of ice had formed in the last few days, but instead of piling on top of the existing ice to make more shelf ice, it stayed about 50' off the shore. I isolated this section of ice and hoped that the transition of the time, light and ice might make something happen.

Lake Michigan. January 15, 2022

January 15, 2022. 7:13am around 23°.

Pretty strong winds this morning, 15-20 mph. I only shot for 20-30 minutes, stopping when the camera and I were hit with water and ice. The tripod legs were frozen and the filter had ice on it. When the wind comes off the lake it's colder than the air temperature and the water it picks up from the lake turns to ice when it hits me and the gear.

This was shot with a Batis 25mm, a lens that has always worked well for me, though I've been trying to use a Loxia 25mm more. The Loxia is probably sharper under controlled conditions but at the edge of the lake there is not much under my control.

Lake Michigan. January 1, 2022

 January 1, 2022 1:44 pm

34* with 20+ mph winds coming off the lake so it felt much colder. The sting of the snow hitting my face required glasses. Batis 40mm - 2 sec @ f8 with ND 6stop. After 8 straight years of coming here it felt like I was walking onto a new stage, the same as it has always felt.

Lake Michigan Ice. March 1, 2021

 March 1, 2021. 5:35pm

An evening shot, unusual for me. I actually went out to scout the ice as the recent snows left pockets of snow where I could easily sink to my waist. Snowshoes will be part of the plan for next winter.

Lake Michigan Ice. December 26, 2020

 December 26, 7:31 am

Lake Michigan Ice. March 5, 2021

 March 5, 2021. 6:49am 27°

Lake Michigan Ice. March 3, 2021

 March 3, 2021. 6:06am. 39°

I enjoy the morning twilight. I imagine it rotates around the earth, always preceding the sunrise.

Lake Michigan Ice. March 2, 2021

 March 2, 2021. 6:28am 20°

I went back this morning to shoot this scene with a 20mm to compare with the 40 from yesterday. A layer. of pancake ice is rolling with the waves

Lake Michigan Ice March 1, 2021

 March 1, 2021 5:32pm

I haven't made it to the lake in the evening this winter until tonight. I actually went to scout it out for tomorrow morning. This was shot about 10 minutes before sunset. The ice ball is about 2.5 feet in diameter and the wave that dropped it on this ledge must have been a big one. I would have liked a wider lens but only brought a 40mm.

Lake Michigan Ice. January 20, 2021

 01/20/2021 7:04am

The pancake ice started around the second half of January. The last couple of years it has been more common to see it. Sometimes they are small, about 2 feet in diameter, but this year 4-5 feet was the average and they stretched out pretty far. The actual light at this time is bluer than I show here. I just wanted a more neutral color cast for this one.