Ice Art – my Way of shooting amazing Winter-Scapes

Winters in Whitehorse are not only cold, but can be grey and long – I found that Vitamin D supplements don’t really cut it. So whenever the sun is out, I’m out there exploring ever changing ice- and snow-scapes. Nature’s beauty can be fleeting: What may be an exceptional motif now can be gone in minutes – blown away, thawed away or dull without the sun. Timing is everything in winter photography. All photos are my own and copyrighted.

(The title picture shows semi-transparent ice figurines formed by frost, thaw and sun, with frozen river and mountains in background.)

Nature’s Creativity and Elegance are unmatched

While all snow- and ice-forms follow the laws of science, their variety seems random and never fails to amaze me. I am an explorer in many ways, and the hunt for new Ice Art will always yield something…..which requires some perseverance on my part, including very cold hands.

In this post I am showing some my best shots so far. Most of them are close-ups, in order to catch the intricate details of ice formations.

Left: River rock surrounded by collar of ice with spheric icicles.
Right: Elegant lines on a frozen puddle with pebbles.

Here is the link to my entire portfolio on Alamy

My Hunting Grounds

……I can’t reveal any details lol….but the banks of the Yukon River provide a fantastic shooting ground: Changing water levels and currents, frost-thaw cycles, light conditions and temperatures from zero to -20ºC – any colder and my camera is no longer forgiving.

Once I scrambled down a steep Yukon River bank through hip-deep snow, to access some ice-covered river rocks. A man stopped in his stride and shouted “are you ok”….he was concerned I might seek cold waters out of depression. I profusely thanked him for caring. And I got my icy rocks on screen.

Atlin in British Columbia is also a gem

Snow drift formations on frozen Atlin Lake, with Minto Mountain (left) and Teresa Island (right – the big mountain is the world’s highest island in a freshwater lake)

Courtesy of my Wife’s Talent

She is an avid quilter and tailor. I could not resist catching her colourful spools and yarns.

Come visit Yukon’s Winter Wonderland

The best time to experience Yukon’s WHITE snow, brilliant sunshine and fantastic vistas is from mid-February to mid-March. Northern Lights viewing is good between October and March. (Aurora forecast)

Yukon winter activities include snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, ice fishing, dog sledding and wildlife viewing. From October 31st to March 31st the snow stays.