Embers on the Ice
Embers on the Ice
Embers on the Ice
Landscapes are living beings, brought to life by the changing seasons, light and impressions from those who have been there before. A visit to Osborn Park in Willoughby, Ohio yields a beautiful look into the changing seasons at Lake Erie and the paradox of burning embers on the ice.
Wintry Environment
The constant whipping wind that comes off lake Erie at Osborn Park drives water and spray onto the banks and cliffs, slowly building mounds of ice on top of plant life, rocks and debris. At this point in the season, the ice is thick in most places, sometimes a sheath of 2 inches encases objects and in other places 6 inches solid. The ground is sea of ice, its smooth shiny surface is slick to the touch, reflecting light from the setting sun.
It's this changing seasonal condition that makes me grateful we are so close to a lake.
Find Inspiration Anywhere
If you are ever stuck in a creative rut, try visiting familiar places only at different times and seasons. You may be surprised by what you find. I have been back to Osborn Park throughout the summer, autumn and winter, each time it never disappoints to reveal some new characteristic of Lake Erie.
Also, usually the worst weather conditions make for the most impressive visuals. In this instance, the wind was howling and it was frigid out. The ice was the most slick I have experienced. Just walking, even in hiking boots, made for treacherous travel and all the frozen plant life formed a bed of frozen stalagmites.
Shot with a GH5, 30-100 f2.8 at sunset. General photographic wisdom holds that you would use a wide angle lens to shoot a scene, however in this instance, zooming in and using a very narrow focal length allows you to really zoom in on the fine details of a scene. Try mixing it up!