HBW – Queen Anne’s Snow

COLD

Flippin’ cold… December 21, winter solstice 2008 in Madison, WI… -10º air temperature and 30mph winds whipping through the open prairie at Cherokee Marsh. At that temperature, what little moisture there is in the air crystalizes and swirls around in the wind. This is called diamond dust and it’s absolutely beautiful as it catches the sun. The air itself sparkles.

I stuck to the wooded areas as much as possible to stay out of the wind and I ended up spending 2 hours out there before my nose and forehead really started to hurt from the cold. Plus, the cold killed my batteries and all three were dead, I froze my index finger to my telephoto lens and it was bleeding from the chunk of fingertip that was still stuck to the focus ring and what little wildlife there was had gone back into hiding.

Still, it was almost a religious experience – the only person for miles around, braving the elements and appreciating the wonders of nature.
………………………………………………………………….

Canon EOS 5D
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM