Cracked Ice
Lighthouse on Marken, Noord Holland.
Lighthouse on Marken, Noord Holland.
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Feb, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in January 2009 on the island of Marken, some 15km North of Amsterdam. The surrounding waters had frozen solid in preceding two weeks. When winds picked up, the ice broke in floes and started to pile up against the shores.Time
Invited by the sunny weather, I set off for a tour through the country side on my bike, taking photos of the winter landscape along the way. Arrived at the lighthouse around 3pm, walked around and made this photo a little later; 3:22pm according to the EXIF information.Lighting
The position of the sun, low on the horizon with only an hour or so to go before sunset, provided a nice illumination. The resulting play of light and dark, some parts lit by sun, others in the shadow, made the structure in the piles of ice come out quite well.Equipment
This was shot with a Panasonic DMC-FZ7. At the time my favorite camera to bring on bicycle rides. Relatively small, yet offering full manual control and a decent optical zoom range it formed the ideal companion.Inspiration
The beauty of the scene as well as the rarity of it inspired me to take photos here. Because of global warming winters in Holland have become more mild; the canals, let alone the larger lakes, do not freeze every year. So when real winter weather does set in, it is all the more reason to get out with the camera, capture the white or frozen landscape on camera.Editing
Other than some cropping to bring the aspect ratio back from the original 4:3 to a more pleasant 3:2 no post-processing was applied.In my camera bag
These days the Canon 60D is my main camera. On a normal trip, I'd start with the Canon EFS 10-22mm zoom lens mounted and bring the EF 70-300mm lens in the backpack. Depending on what I expect to encounter, I may also bring my 100mm macro lens. For best results that last one requires bringing a tripod, which unfortunately isn't always an option. However, for close-ups of flowers and insects I find a high ISO setting in combination with a low aperture to be a workable compromise. When there's enough daylight, shutter speeds can be high enough to minimize impact of the inevitable camera shake.Feedback
Key to this photo is the low point of view. Unlike earlier such events in the 20th century, the ice didn't get to the lighthouse and only reached modest heights. To add more drama, better highlight the structure, I lowered the camera to the top of the ice floes. My advice to others would be to always keep this in mind. Explore a scene from different angles, try take photos from unusual points of view. Results may amaze you.
