Ice Caves
Taken at the Apostle Island Ice Caves on Lake Superior on the second of their two open weekends in 2015.
Taken at the Apostle Island Ice Caves on Lake Superior on the second of their two open weekends in 2015.
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Apr, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the Apostle Islands Ice Caves. On rarer and rarer occasions these days do we get a long enough cold spell that the ice on Lake Superior freezes hard enough that these caves are opened to the public.Time
This was shot in the early afternoon. We started from the twin cities early in the morning for a four hour drive to get to our location with sufficient time to hike the 2-3 miles from the street parking to the lake. From there you've got another mile of hiking on ice to get to the beginning of the really spectacular views. After all the hiking and sight seeing, you have to turn around and hike back, ideally before it gets dark and really cold.Lighting
Because of timing, the sun was out and light was harsh. Thankfully a layer of clouds moved in and out to soften it a bit, and there was lots of cover in the caves to soften further. Outside was an endless field of snow, which constantly threatened to blow highlights or convince you to underexpose pictures.Equipment
I shoot with a Sony a6000. This was taken with a 19mm Sigma 2.8, without a flash or any filters.Inspiration
When I'm out sightseeing, I'm always looking for ways to include my friends in the shots. When I saw this waterfall, I saw a frame rather than a frozen waterfall and lined Patrick up in the waterfall as a frame because it looked better than just a waterfall. Since the waterfall is actually rather high up, I had to lie down on the ice to frame both Patrick and the waterfall in the camera.Editing
Because of the darkness in the cave and the brightness outside, I pulled the sky down and pushed the shadows up. A little contrast and saturation was added to really boost the green of the ice against the blue of the sky.In my camera bag
I have a fairly budget and beginner-friendly setup: A Sony a6000, Sigma 19mm f2.8 that I use primarily for skydiving and occasional wider shots, a 'nifty 50mm' Sony f1.8 that I use for nearly everything else, and on occasion I'll bring my Minolta MD 135 f3.5. On occasion my ND filter and remote shutter release come with me as well.Feedback
Aside from general safety warnings regarding frozen waterfalls, you have to be willing to bundle up and trek in the cold on sometimes short notice to take advantage of frozen weather related scenery. Global environment changes mean some new things are going to happen in places they haven't happened before and other things are going to happen less frequently. Take advantage of what is happening as it happens and capture it for the rest of us!
