Peer Reflections

Nurturing Wellness through Creativity and Compassion
About
Blog
Through The Lens
Resources

Tag: lake superior

  • Through The Lens: Ice & Emotions

    Photo by Shannon

    Through the Lens: Ice and Emotions

    The ice on Lake Superior can do some pretty impressive things. Waves push shards onto the shore, shifting and moving them miles down the coast in a matter of days—or even hours. The ice on Lake Superior is both unstable and magnificent at the same time.

    With camera in hand and ice cleats attached, I take a calculated risk to capture the shards that fascinate me. The details, the shapes, the color—I am drawn in, mesmerized by their raw beauty. As I stand there, I reflect on the way emotions are similar to these ice shards…

    Emotions can feel sharp. They can feel cold, catching you off guard. They shift, they spike, they fall, they freeze—emotions are notorious for being unpredictable.

    We can put all our energy into controlling or suppressing them, trying to force them into a box. Or we can choose to observe them as they shift.

    As emotions rise and fall, I remind myself that managing them is a lot like observing the ice on Superior. I am both fearful of the fragile space they claim and in awe of their beauty and arrangement.

  • Winter’s Whispers

    While out in the frozen tundra, I captured this scene over Lake Superior, overtaken by sea smoke. The entire area was shrouded in an eerie whiteout, with visibility severely limited—a hauntingly quiet and surreal landscape. At -20 degrees, the only sounds were the crunch of snow beneath my feet and the shifting ice on the lake.

    Amid this frozen stillness, I stumbled upon this hill formation with trees and rocks encased in layers of ice. What struck me most was the blue hue of the ice—a color that only forms when ice becomes dense over time. It made me think about endurance. These rocks and trees, coated in ice through countless storms and harsh conditions, became more beautiful as the ice thickened and deepened its color.

    It’s a reminder of how challenges, while difficult, can shape something resilient and stunning over time.

    What I love most about this image is the way the ice has taken on a blue hue, a natural phenomenon that adds an almost ethereal quality to the scene. Despite the torturous cold and slippery terrain, I’m grateful I ventured out that day. This capture, with its quiet strength and ethereal quality, has become one of my favorite winter images from the frozen northland.