Green Lake BluesWinter's Absence Just a few days ago I drove past Green Lake in Orchard Park, NY after dusk and saw a nice thin layer of ice on it. It was dark though with no color left in the cloudy sky. Checking the forecast I saw a significant warm up was on the way. I set the alarm to be there before sunrise the next day hoping the above freezing temperature and possibly some rain would not completely melt that beautiful icy layer. I wanted to try to shoot against the rising sun and put some color on it for a new look of the lake I had not captured yet.

When I arrived it was still very dark but I could see right away that my plans were thwarted. The layer of ice was gone and in the distance a few patches of ice were floating around. No snow, no ice, there was not going to be a winter photo.

I took a walk around the lake, explored the area around the dam and the fishing pier and returned back to the beach where I saw a nice rock sticking out of the water. Wide views did not work for me that morning so I focused on details and my minimalist mood set in. I spent quite a while positioning the tripod and the camera for a placement of the rock where I liked it, against the gap in the tree reflection. Right there I knew this one would be a square format and I composed accordingly.

There was no wind, the lake and the air were perfectly calm, and I liked how that made the protruding rock stand out even more. And while my original intention was to get some wild colors reflected of the now gone layer of ice I was happy with the cloudy blues I was getting instead.

Glimpse of SunriseGreen Lake

Then, just for the briefest of moments, the rising sun managed to find some thinner clouds and a sliver of color showed up on the eastern sky. I quickly moved back to the dam and captured at least a documentary shot of that morning that was close to my intended composition but lacked the winter ingredients and even wilder colors.

The colors disappeared quickly and permanently for the day as clouds took reign. I circled back around the lake looking along the shore if I could find some left over ice. And in a few areas, there was some! Like a child I got excited by the about 4 square feet of very thin ice and spent quite a while tuning my composition trying to keep it very simple again with no distracting elements along the edges of the photo.

Last Ice StandingGreen Lake

When I was ready to call it I noticed that the geese were having fun too. In one area where it visually looked like there was no ice left they were jumping from the shore, landing on the invisible ice layer and sliding in a cumbersome way. And the next one, and the next. I called it goose skating and enjoyed the sight for several more minutes. I did not have my telephoto with me so photos were out of question but it was fun. I know it goes against many theories but I bet the geese had fun doing it!

Have fun too!

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