January ushered in some of the coldest days we’ve seen in a while, with temperatures plummeting to a bone-chilling -16°C (3°F). It was a daring venture I couldn’t resist. I recalled a nearby waterfall, and with the frosty weather, I hoped it might be frozen solid. This was the perfect opportunity to test both my endurance and my gear in extreme cold. Preparing for the journey was no small feat. I knew the uphill trek would warm me quickly, but the stillness required for photography would cool me down just as fast. Layering became my armor against the biting cold.
As I arrived at the car park and the temperature gauge confirmed the icy conditions, excitement mingled with apprehension. The trail led me alongside a stream, where the cold seemed to deepen with every step even further. I paced myself, mindful of avoiding overheating, shedding layers when necessary, and bundling up again as I approached my photo spots. Finally, the frozen waterfall came into view – a stunning sight, almost otherworldly in its icy grandeur. I was really eager on exploring this location in this new temperature setting.
I moved around to capture every angle, every detail, hoping to “freeze” this moment in time. I could go very close to the waterfall as therw was almost no spray water. Almost. After a while I had a thin layer of ice on my jacket, on the camera and even on my glasses! Actually I was a bit concerned if the battery would refuse to work in such conditions but it prove to be really sturdy!
I was not super confident as I still had not found the perspective that made me a WOW feeling. So, after quite some time at the waterfall – when I ran out of ideas, I decided to return back to the car. Maybe some of the shots would turn out better on the screen than I excted them to be – which happens pretty often to be honest.
On the way back I made some more stops, photographing some frozen details along the stream. Then, shortly before reaching the car, I had mentally finished this photo walk already. I passed that bridge, looked down and just thought – “Let’s give it a try”. I decided to climb down from the way to explore some more perspectives under this bridge as a last photo spot this day.
It was a great day! I learned a lot about my equipment, had the opportunity to test hiking and photographing in very cold conditions and saw a frozen waterfall. Yet I didn’t get the photo that I expected – but a couple of other photos that I had not anticipated.