BACK IN THE NORTHWOODS

Fay Lake, Florence County, Wisconsin

It was the traditional ice fishing weekend with friends up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Great camaraderie, good food, lots of laughters, moderate temperatures, and yes, a few fish saw the light above the ice. While here in eastern Iowa all the snow had melted, up north there was still plenty of the white stuff on the ground and the ice on the lake was solid and about 12” (30 cm) thick. Good enough for driving safely onto the lake.

I know I have posted photos of Fay Lake before, but it is never twice the same. The camera comes out of the bag shortly before we collect our fishing gear and leave the ice. The sun is low and we were rewarded with a nice glow on the ice and warm colors above the horizon. Good times!

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S,   @ 24mm, 1/1000 s, f/10, ISO 100

WEEKEND IN THE NORTHWOODS

It became a tradition in January that I meet with some friends up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for an ice fishing weekend. Well, our fishing success was modest this year but the fun we had can’t be measured in numbers. Cold temperatures and more than a foot of fresh powder snow created a winter wonderland. The best time to get the camera out of the bag is usually around sunset but I tried a few other things this time as well…

WORKING AGAINST THE GRAY

Is there still some story telling in a photo if nothing but a gray overcast with fog, and as a result snow that looks gray, dominate the scene? At least I gave it a try last weekend during our annual ice fishing event with friends up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I was hoping for some great light moments, but they never came this time. One way to suppress the overall gray is to find some colors. The nicely stacked fire wood beside the cabin and a little bit of fresh snow draw the attention away from the gray sky.

In the second image negative space was used to depict the contour of the lake shore. In addition the dark spots of the slushy snow on the ice of Fay Lake tell the story of a gray and relativ warm winter day.