The other day while ice fishing we noticed incredible frost crystallization around the prior day's holes and in our earlier footsteps. After we were done fishing, I came back out with my camera to try and capture the amazing brilliance of the crystals.
The sun was beginning to set over the lake and the entire area was spiky with diamonds. While it doesn't look like much here, it was breathtaking to see in person:
Up close, this is what was catching the sun, hundreds of gold frost "leaves:"
While incredibly small, they were some of the largest frost leaves I have seen, nearly .5" in length.
As the sun set, it really began to light up the crystals. I love this illuminated stack, looks a foreign creature glowing from within:
The most challenging part of photographing these? Not melting them with my breath while lying on the snow trying to focus on them! This is one of the better shots showing both the gold of the sunset and some of the incredible detail in the frost leaf:
Don't you love all the unexpected treats that winter brings?
(I'm thrilled to be back after taking a month off of nearly all electronics except as required for my work. It was lovely to spend the month of December with family and friends and at our cabin. I hope you had a fun end to 2012 and are having a great start to 2013. Thanks for reading my blog!)
I love these frost flowers!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mia. I was so surprised to see your beautiful post this morning, too. Must be the week for frost flowers :-)
DeleteThese are magnificent!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Kerri!
DeleteI like all the effects, and the first landscape speaks to me a lot. I like the way you focused sharp on the foreground, (apparently you got low on the ground), and then how all the differing planes start receding into the background and out of focus. I like those sort of landscapes.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maria. I had fun trying to get different angles of them while lying on the ice.
DeleteWow, these are all beautiful images. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks much, Eileen!
DeleteOh my goodness, I have never seen such a magical sight! Lovely frost leaves and so beautifully photographed! The lighting is glorious. A gem of a post!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Julie. Isn't nature amazing?
DeleteFirst let me say "ice fishing"? Yikes.. What beautiful photos.. most excellent crystals & lighting & bravo your stamina fir cold photography.. Where is this lake?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cindy!
DeleteThe lake shown is Upper Gull. If you Google Nisswa, MN or Lake Shore, MN and Upper Gull you'll find it. We have a family cabin up here and have spent a lot of time at it this winter.