Frozen Sunrise

the lake surrenders in steam
to the frigid winter air
waves swell and freeze against the shore
the rising sun has little warmth to offer

At only zero degrees Fahrenheit, it was a particularly cold January morning. I looked out the window to see the starlight, sharp and bright, shining through the pre-dawn sky. I was certain that we would be graced with a magnificent sunrise over Lake Huron. I brewed a cup of coffee, donned my warmest Winter clothing, connected the 16-55 mm lens to my Fujifilm XT-4 camera and headed down to the ice-covered beach. For twenty minutes, I photographed the brightening horizon. As the sun appeared, I snapped many more photos until my fingers were numb from the frigid temperatures. As I turned to walk away, I saw that the sunrise was painting the edges of the ice in dramatic blues and pastels, so I stopped, crouched down and took this shot, and the final photo turned out to be the one. I’m particularly proud of this because Landscape Photography has always been a challenge for me. I rarely capture the scene as I see it. This photo is the exception. When I look at the image, I travel right back to that cold, quiet morning on the deserted Lake Huron beach in Greenbush, Michigan.

Location: Greenbush, Alcona County, Michigan
Equipment: Fujifilm XT-4 w/ XF 18-55mm
Camera Settings: 55mm, 1/126, f/22, ISO 640