shots · how I shot this
Frozen Joffre Lake: standing on the ice for scale
Joffre Lakes · shot November 12, 2022
- 1Accept that the lake is white. The peaks, the forest and a person have to carry the frame, not the water.
- 2Put the person on the ice in the lower part of the frame, with the peaks and forest above, so the scale reads at a glance.
- 3Shoot the 50mm wide open: f/1.8 at 1/800 keeps the person sharp and lets the background soften just enough.
Shot on Nikon D850 · 50mm f/1.8
This is from 12 November 2022, on the ice at Joffre Lakes. It was shot on the Nikon D850 with the 50mm, before the A7 IV, and the settings below are straight from the file.
In summer this is the turquoise postcard everyone takes. In winter the lake is a white plane, and a blank white plane is not a photograph. Scale is the photograph here, which is why a person in the frame is not optional.
Why these settings
The 50mm wide open at f/1.8 gives a fast shutter on bright snow, 1/800 at ISO 320, so a handheld frame is sharp without thinking about it. Wide open also separates the person from the basin a little, which helps on a frame that is mostly white.
A word on the ice
The lakes freeze hard enough to walk in winter, which is also how people get into trouble when they treat that as a guarantee. I am not going to tell you it is safe because I did it. The trail guide, Joffre Lakes in winter, covers the conditions and the descent.
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