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Description

Where: Hicklinge, Sweden
What: Lake
When: January 24th, 2017, 12.06pm
With What: Hasselblad 555ELD & CFV II, (Plus Kodak Tri-X) Zeiss 80mm C Lens, tripod, 60th Sec, f5.6, iso 50 with Hahnel Giga T Pro with DIY modified cable and remote.
There are moments which I sometimes wonder what the hell I’m doing, today was one of those days.
I spent time this morning reviewing my sketch book and decided on a batch of ideas which included myself, our dog Fletcher, a frozen lake, mist, a ladder, other props and various poses, so I attempted to faithfully replicate the sketches I’d done.
Our nearby lake has been frozen over for the past 4 weeks and solidly for the past week when the temperatures got down to -16 at one point. Though the weather had taken a turn for the warmer over the past 4 days and my hope of getting all the elements from my sketch seem to be slipping away.
So with the light mist this morning I gathered as much as I could, bundled up the car with props and drove down to the lake. The atmosphere of the lake was dead quiet except of the odd eery crack and groan of the lake ice straining at the colder temperatures from the warmer ones the day before. That should have been a warning sign to me but I was on a mission.
I got the large ladder from the car and offered it up to the ice, I got out the chain saw and went to work creating two holes for the legs of the ladder. Icy cold water splashing everywhere made for messy work. 5 minutes later I had the ladder up and was moving props about. I got dressed up in my usual vintage garb to try some photos. The ladder was not fully secure or straight plus it had a little tilt to it, I’d also left it out overnight so the ladder was covered in frost. Climbing it was slightly tricky.
Every so often a startling crack or weird ping of the ice would happen but somewhere far over the other side of the Lake I ignored it and continued snapping the scenes from my sketch book.
Mid way through I hit on what I thought was a bright idea which I had not put into my sketchbook.
What if I climbed to the top of the ladder and sit on the top rung?
Great idea, I said to myself and moved the camera further away so I could get the whole scene in shot. I gingerly climbed to the top of the ladder, snapping pictures as I went, this shot was one of them.
Trying to get one leg over the top strut was a test of courage and faith of my handy work below. I managed to hook my left leg under the second top rung, the ladder was now swaying a little more at this point and my heart was starting to beat a little faster, especially now I was at the point of no return.
Just at the point I got my other leg over the right strut and started to hook it under the second top rung, I must have lent back a little and the ladder almost fully pitched back, I caught myself in time and lent forward with my heart in my mouth, the ladder bouncing even more.
Crack, went the ice off in the distance and I looked in the direction of the sound. Another crack and boom but this time I actually spotted it happen.
Like a slow motion lightening strike and odd fascination I saw the crack hurtle in my direction, jagging this way and that, the crack and booming sound whooshed around in various directions around and directly under the ladder I was perched on. I huge piece of ice split 5ft beside me into a diamond shape and I froze.
A few more cracks one of which went through the hole I’d made for the ladders leg and carried on to the shore which now seemed much further away than before. How I managed to take one picture during this I have no idea, the picture of this clearly shows my body shape of horror, hunched and gripping to the ladder with sheer fright. I may post it one day.
I wanted to take some pictures but I also wanted to get out of this idiotic position I’d got myself into, it was a split decision, but thankfully sense took over and I very very carefully managed to get my leg back over the ladder strut and then the other and made my way down to the “safety” of the ice below.
I took a deep breath and headed for the car to sit down and contemplate what just happened. The dog all the while had been sitting in the warm open boot of the car waiting for my return, I can only imagine what he was thinking.
I hope you like it.
Shoved into Photoshop, turned into mono and a signature shoved on it.
© Copyright – redtree.me – All rights reserved.

Description

Where: Hicklinge, Sweden
What: Lake
When: January 24th, 2017, 12.06pm
With What: Hasselblad 555ELD & CFV II, (Plus Kodak Tri-X) Zeiss 80mm C Lens, tripod, 60th Sec, f5.6, iso 50 with Hahnel Giga T Pro with DIY modified cable and remote.
There are moments which I sometimes wonder what the hell I’m doing, today was one of those days.
I spent time this morning reviewing my sketch book and decided on a batch of ideas which included myself, our dog Fletcher, a frozen lake, mist, a ladder, other props and various poses, so I attempted to faithfully replicate the sketches I’d done.
Our nearby lake has been frozen over for the past 4 weeks and solidly for the past week when the temperatures got down to -16 at one point. Though the weather had taken a turn for the warmer over the past 4 days and my hope of getting all the elements from my sketch seem to be slipping away.
So with the light mist this morning I gathered as much as I could, bundled up the car with props and drove down to the lake. The atmosphere of the lake was dead quiet except of the odd eery crack and groan of the lake ice straining at the colder temperatures from the warmer ones the day before. That should have been a warning sign to me but I was on a mission.
I got the large ladder from the car and offered it up to the ice, I got out the chain saw and went to work creating two holes for the legs of the ladder. Icy cold water splashing everywhere made for messy work. 5 minutes later I had the ladder up and was moving props about. I got dressed up in my usual vintage garb to try some photos. The ladder was not fully secure or straight plus it had a little tilt to it, I’d also left it out overnight so the ladder was covered in frost. Climbing it was slightly tricky.
Every so often a startling crack or weird ping of the ice would happen but somewhere far over the other side of the Lake I ignored it and continued snapping the scenes from my sketch book.
Mid way through I hit on what I thought was a bright idea which I had not put into my sketchbook.
What if I climbed to the top of the ladder and sit on the top rung?
Great idea, I said to myself and moved the camera further away so I could get the whole scene in shot. I gingerly climbed to the top of the ladder, snapping pictures as I went, this shot was one of them.
Trying to get one leg over the top strut was a test of courage and faith of my handy work below. I managed to hook my left leg under the second top rung, the ladder was now swaying a little more at this point and my heart was starting to beat a little faster, especially now I was at the point of no return.
Just at the point I got my other leg over the right strut and started to hook it under the second top rung, I must have lent back a little and the ladder almost fully pitched back, I caught myself in time and lent forward with my heart in my mouth, the ladder bouncing even more.
Crack, went the ice off in the distance and I looked in the direction of the sound. Another crack and boom but this time I actually spotted it happen.
Like a slow motion lightening strike and odd fascination I saw the crack hurtle in my direction, jagging this way and that, the crack and booming sound whooshed around in various directions around and directly under the ladder I was perched on. I huge piece of ice split 5ft beside me into a diamond shape and I froze.
A few more cracks one of which went through the hole I’d made for the ladders leg and carried on to the shore which now seemed much further away than before. How I managed to take one picture during this I have no idea, the picture of this clearly shows my body shape of horror, hunched and gripping to the ladder with sheer fright. I may post it one day.
I wanted to take some pictures but I also wanted to get out of this idiotic position I’d got myself into, it was a split decision, but thankfully sense took over and I very very carefully managed to get my leg back over the ladder strut and then the other and made my way down to the “safety” of the ice below.
I took a deep breath and headed for the car to sit down and contemplate what just happened. The dog all the while had been sitting in the warm open boot of the car waiting for my return, I can only imagine what he was thinking.
I hope you like it.
Shoved into Photoshop, turned into mono and a signature shoved on it.
© Copyright – redtree.me – All rights reserved.