After the Storm

This image was taken in the Northwest Territories, in northern Canada, on the same trip as the "Thundering River" photograph. The base camp, on Whitefish Lake, was originally a primitive fishing campsite. Now nature photographers, as well as others who want a true wilderness experience also use it. The camp is on an esker, on the shore of the lake. An esker is a rise formed of sand and silt deposited by rivers that flowed under glaciers during the last ice age. Small Black Spruce trees are the only large plants that grow there. When you leave the esker, you are on tundra. This ecosystem is characterized by the absence of trees and the presence of boulders and kettle ponds, which are the result of glacier activity.

The day after we arrived, a storm blew in and stayed for three days. The storm brought winds over 50 mph and horizontal rain and sleet. At night, it seemed the tent might blow away. Opportunities for photography were practically non-existent. The wind blew so hard that it forced rain through the seams of the tent and it dripped down the inside of the tent. We moved our camera equipment to the middle of the tent for protection. Finally, the storm ended and we were then blessed with clear, calm, blue skies for several days. We made up for lost time.

The evening after the storm was cool and clear. We hoped the conditions would be good for sunset images; in the evening we hiked around and located a kettle pond with reflections of spruce trees silhouetted on the water; a crescent moon was rising; the sky was pink, red and magenta-it was perfect. We carefully positioned ourselves for the best composition of these elements.