Behind the lens: documenting ice out

Spring is here, at least the Adirondack version, which includes some warm weather, flowers popping up through the soil, but also snowstorms, icy trails, and – of course – one of my favorite events: ice out.

For the next few weeks, I’ll be spending some extra attention on documenting ice out through visual media. We’ll also be launching a fun ice-out contest in the coming days here in the photography section, so check back for that later this week.

I’ve already spent some time documenting the action on Mirror Lake during a visit on Monday, but the best images are yet to come. As a photographer, ice out helps me track changes that are occurring in nature. I know when it’s taking place, that there are certain shots that will become possible. And the action can be pretty exciting. One of the images I’ll be hoping to capture in the coming weeks on area lakes are otters playing on ice. They tend to come out on sunny days in the spring. They’ll pop up through holes and then frolic around. I’ve seen as many as four at one time playing next to a hole in the ice.

For the Adirondacks, ice out is often a time of year when there is a sense of hope, of new life, of change. It’ll be great to see it occur and I encourage you to check back here to look for photo galleries and videos documenting the scene.