Ethan vs winter

Georgian Bay shoreline at sunrise, Bruce Peninsula
Canon EOS 1N, EF 17-40 lens; Singh-Ray Gold-n-Blue polarizer & 2 stop soft edge ND grad

I'm sitting in my cozy apartment planning an upcoming photo shoot out to the Georgian Bay shoreline, which is amazingly decorated with ice right now. Many of my friends have been out there snapping great shots with their point & shoot cameras, but I haven't had a chance to get out there myself yet. It's probably the best ice of the past decade and I'm dying to shoot it!

My friend and I have just made plans to do the 1 hr hike out there early this Sunday morning with an array of props (skis, snowshoes, etc) for photo setups. As I sit here tonight checking the weather forecast, it's calling for a painfully cold -31C windchill.

I struggle to find the motivation to venture out photographing in such frigid temps, especially when there's no guarantee of good light. But sometimes the result is well worth it! I'll never forget the morning a few winters ago when I shot the above photo. The windchill was -35C and I was dressed in so many layers that I could barely move. Thinking back, I can still feel the biting wind in my face! Although it was one of the coldest days that winter, it was also one of the most magical winter scenes I've ever seen. As I brace for the cold temps this week, I'll be thinking warm thoughts about the potential photos!