Winter Wanderings

This winter has been a “doozy” as my dear old Mom used to say.  Because I grew up in south Louisiana, doozy applied to other things – athletic feats, five-car pileups and report cards (mine, not my sisters’ good grades).  She never used the term for subzero temperatures, bone-crushing layers of ice and snow or a depressingly abbreviated handful of hours of light unless, perhaps, she and my Dad were watching national news, shaking their heads at the thought that he had once been offered employment in Pennsylvania.

Growing up in south Louisiana, surrounded by marshes, swamps, bayous, lakes and rivers, I gladly located as near to Lake Michigan as possible when my family and I moved up to Chicago’s North Shore 12 years ago. I knew, of course, that summer was abbreviated but I have still not gotten used to the idea that I can’t just jump into the water in March or April… or May… or sometimes early June when one has to slowly tip-toe into the blue abyss.

This year’s polar vortex bore down on the Great Lakes, Chicagoland and much of the country with a sudden fury.  I had experienced -17F but not -22F.  I wondered if there was any discernable difference or if it simply meant that fewer minutes were required to experience frostbite. Polar winds ensured a difference. There were deadly wind chills of -53F that made any long exposure costly if not deadly. Still, I felt dumbly compelled to capture at least a few images that week. Perhaps the quickest way to convey the vortex is to share a snap of my favorite Lake Michigan swimming hole – the pier at Elder Lane Beach, Winnetka, Illinois.

Elder Lane Beach pier on Lake Michigan. It was -20F or colder when I took this. It was brutal, painful and I could only walk out on the frozen lake for a few minutes. 1971 Canon 55 1.2 lens on Sony A7R2.

“The Cossacks” by Scott Edwards. As I was shooting this image, wind was whipping across the frozen landscape. It felt more like Russia and less like the United States.

One of my favorite images from the stone-cold winter blast.

All things frozen. Woods near Skokie Lagoon, Winnetka/Glencoe, Illinois during a polar vortex.

Here’s another 135mm image taken in a woods.

What story does this image tell? For me, it feels a world away from the city and for that matter, time. Canon FD 135 2.5.

Subzero Sister. A nun makes her way from the Northline is subzero polar vortex temps.

On the Friday of the polar blast, a brilliant glow appeared as the sun set.  This image was taken in Winnetka, Illinois.  Compare this image with the next one – only greys and greens.

Idyllic Winnetka in winter.

Lake Michigan greys and greens.

Only a few creatures were stirring during the polar visit. I’ll do a separate post sometime on this train ride. #dismal #lastpersononEarth

Capitalism can be exhausting. Canon FD 55 1.2

The Northline climb, Chicago.

Kenilworth Beach, winter’s polar vortex in Chicago.

A romantic landscape of light. A light snow was falling as I took this at 16mm.

Thanks for your time. You can find out more about me on this website.  I’m Scott Edwards, a hybrid (digital, modern and vintage lens, and film) photographer who shoots portraits, lifestyle, commercial and fine art photography. I gladly shoot for individuals, families, businesses and organizations.