Nature creates the most intricate artwork, and the only way to capture and preserve it is with photography. For me, it’s (almost always) about the water, and winter, by far, creates some of the most breath-taking sculptures using that element. They’re fleeting and transient—with the slightest breeze or temperature fluctuation capable of obliterating them.
The image above is one of soft rime. Earlier that morning, shining a flashlight ahead of me, I watched with interest as freezing fog streamed through the beam of light. Droplets like this, under the right conditions, can freeze upon contact with surfaces at subzero temperatures creating opaque structures of brittle, interlocking ice crystals.
On any other morning, this was a clump of horsehair snagged in a barbed wire fence. But on this particular day, it became an ornate, delicate thing of beauty.
Tearing the last page off a calendar is such a great time for reflecting. This year we had an abundance of things to be grateful for proving once again, it’s not things that make a year good or bad, it’s who you go through those things with that makes the difference.
Sunrise won’t arrive for a few hours yet, but as I sit writing, my husband has made coffee and dropped a steaming cup off to me (accompanied by a chocolate-covered coffee bean). The day is very special to me. The man who brought me coffee proposed to me on New Year’s Day after reciting by memory, one of my favorite poems, ee cummings, i carry your heart with me (i carry it in). Outside, a light snow is falling over our desperately dry land and the air has a winter feel to it.
Our dog is snoring, not yet recovered from a day-long hike. We’ve had many great hikes this year and right now, in the garage drying, is a casting we made of a cougar track, spotted on our latest adventure. It joins track castings of a black bear and a grizzly.
This year I captured a couple from my bucket list of shots—light pillars and a lunar halo/aurora combination. We discovered a new favorite place that all three of us enjoy. Don’t ask…I can’t tell you! Thanks to another friend, I made a connection with a horse who needed a little extra companionship. It’s been a highlight of my year.
And here we are in 2024. I am grateful for the love and friendship of my husband, family, and friends (new and old). I wish you all the best in the new year, we could not have done it without you!
And for those who have asked, yes, this was the year that an albatross house went by the wayside thanks to the dedication of one tenacious woman. I’d name her but I suspect she wants to forget the entire experience, and I wouldn’t blame her. I wish her an especially Happy New Year!
Alberta, Canada, has become a popular place for filming. You might recognize some of the following movie titles—Unforgiven, The Revenant, Brokeback Mountain, and Legends of the Fall—a handful that have been shot here.
This image was not a film set from the post-apocalyptic HBO series The Last of Us, recently filmed in parts of Alberta. This fire began in the early morning hours when the temperature outside was about -16 degrees F and it’s currently under investigation. As fire crews battled the blaze, the water began freezing and for perspective, one gallon of frozen water weighs just over eight pounds.
Built in the early nineteen hundreds, this historic hotel did not survive the lethal combination of fire and the crushing weight of the ice.
I remember this hotel from when I was in my twenties. The bar was a little on the rough side but stuff like that doesn’t matter as much when you’re young and invincible.
It was impossible to get close, so I shot these using my telephoto lens. While doing so I discovered that if positioned myself just right, I could capture a rainbow. Which I did right before my bare fingers turned numb from the cold.
What I love about my life is the passion my husband and I share for nature, and we make sure to take time to appreciate whatever that brings. Sometimes it’s beautiful but other times it’s incredibly destructive.
This fire did not take any lives, but a piece of history has been lost. The building was demolished a couple of hours after these photos were taken.
Take time to appreciate the places and people that surround you—you never know when they’ll be gone forever.
Whether or not you’re a fan…it’s here. This year on top of the added stresses the holiday season brings, we have Covid numbers increasing and early season snowfall! It’s the perfect time to think about balance. It’s tempting to jump on the 2020 Year from Hell bandwagon but when I think about it, I can find many things to be grateful for. If you’re finding that difficult to do I highly recommend taking one photo a day. It doesn’t have to be an incredible shot either. It’s the intention being set, the routine being followed; a purpose for the day that you will look beyond the disconnect and make a connection with something. It may not happen overnight but that one little gesture, one photo, can change your mindset and with that, bring balance.
Nature tells us everything that we need to know if we take time to study it. This might be one of my favorite ice views, sculpted by bitter cold and intense winds. Well worth the icy fingertips…
it's (almost always) about the water... 