Growing Up with Winter
“Growing up in a place that has winter, you learn to avoid self-pity. Winter is not a personal experience, everybody else is just as cold as you, so you shouldn't complain about it too much. You learn this as a kid, coming home crying from the cold, and Mother looks down and says, 'It's only a little frostbite. You're okay.' And thus, you learn to be okay. What's done is done. Get over it. Drink your coffee. It's not the best you'll ever get but it's good enough.” Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion
A Rude Awakening
My annoying iPhone alarm jarred me from a deep sleep. I groggily looked around a dark, unfamiliar room. Where was I? And why was I getting up at 5am?
And then I remembered. It was my hotel room in Munising, Michigan. Today was my second day to head out and photograph the icy Lake Superior shoreline in subzero, windy conditions.
For a moment, I was tempted to pull the warm comforter over my head and go back to sleep. It was supposed to be even colder today. And it had taken me hours to warm up yesterday.
But wait a minute. I’m from Minnesota and going out on a cold day is what you do! So, I dressed in layers, ate a few mini donuts for breakfast, and headed to the snowmobile parking area.
Along with several other photographers that cold March 4, 2022, morning, we were transported by snowmobile across the frozen bay to Grand Island.
It looked promising. Unlike the day before, there was an opening in the overcast to the east. Colorful clouds or a star around the sun as it peaked above the horizon were both possible. And thanks to scouting the area the day before, we knew the location of several sea caves offering interesting compositions.
The Shot
I wedged myself as far back in a sea cave as I could go. I locked down my camera on the tripod after tweaking my composition and waited for the sunrise.
I wasn’t disappointed! As the sun cleared the horizon, red-yellow sunlight flooded the cave, bouncing off the ice and sandstone further intensifying the already warm light. I pressed the shutter just as the sun peaked over the distant shore, capturing my star around the sun.
We continued to photograph until we started to lose feeling in our fingers and toes. After that, we returned to the Falling Rock Cafe and Book Store in downtown Munising for a hot cup of coffee and breakfast.
Getting ready to leave for breakfast in town.
Thanks for looking,
Chuck Derus