Feature Photo
The Story Behind the PhotoFor most of my life I've despised winter. Growing up in southern Ontario, with it's mild winters, minimal snowfall and gray skies, I never understood what a true Canadian winter was supposed to be like. So for years I considered winter the 'inside' season - a time for labeling and filing slides, catching up on movies, or escaping down south for vacations. When I moved north four years ago to Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, I thought my perspective would change. But I was greeted by several warmer than usual winters, with relatively little snowfall. Would I ever become a true Canadian, with a hardy winter spirit?
Well, my life changed this past winter. The temperatures plummeted and the snow accumulated. It was damn cold, and I shoveled ferociously to keep my driveway clear. I struggled to keep up with the voracious appetite of my fireplace. And most importantly, I started to spend more time outside.
Regular snowfalls created striking and fresh opportunities for landscape images every week, so I ventured out whenever the skies suggested there might be dramatic sunrises or sunsets. On several shoots, the windchill was around minus 30 Celsius, so I had to learn how to layer my clothing well. I also learned to walk with snowshoes.
Toward the end of winter, sustained cold temperatures froze up most of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron solid enough to travel on the ice. This meant rare access to great photo spots, otherwise inaccessible. This photo was taken on Little Cove in Bruce Peninsula National Park (the distant island is Bear's Rump, in Fathom Five National Marine Park). To get there, my friend and I snowmobiled out along the shoreline, then walked along the cliffs. I'd scouted the location previously on an overcast day, and figured it would be sidelit on a sunny evening. Well it was indeed, but only for a short 40 minute window of time. For that brief time I shot like a madman, firing 6 rolls before the sun was lost behind the cliffs.
Sitting here today, watching the rain melt the last bit of snow in my yard, I'm looking forward to the rejuvenating qualities of spring. Soon I'll be chasing newly arrived songbirds, and scouting for wildflowers. But as the heat of summer looms in months to come, in the back of my mind I'll be fondly thinking warm thoughts of icy cold winter days.
Technicals:
Canon EOS 1N; EF20-35mm at 24
Velvia rated at 100, pushed one stop
Cokin Blue-Yellow Polarizer
mirror lock up and timer at 2secs
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