Crystal Currents

I quickly change lenses in the freezing cold air, throw my tripod and camera over my shoulder, and scramble to find the right position as I ventured out on to the icy bank of the Churchill River at sunset. I was losing light fast, and I was trying to keep enough warmth in my fingers to operate the camera the way I needed to get the exposure just right. I didn’t want to miss the magic of the moment; I wanted to capture the color in the sky and the ice at my feet.

I was fascinated by the ice crystals forming in the river, because I know it’s this river that is the lifeline for the polar bears in this region. It provides fresh water to the Hudson Bay near Churchill, and is one of the main causes for the ice to form sooner at this location. The fresh water raises the freezing temperature of the sea water allowing it to freeze sooner than it would normally freeze. The polar bears rely upon this phenomenon each Fall as they wait for the ice to form thick enough to support their weight. It’s this ice that allows them to go on the hunt for food, as they’ve been hungrily waiting since the Spring for this moment to happen.

In the last few minutes before the sun dipped down below the horizon, the color in the clouds and sky began to appear if only for a brief moment. Luckily, I was in place to witness the changing light and capture the memory.

Available in a variety of 3 X 2 sizes and materials from $66

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