Frozen in Time

In February of 2026, I took a 6 day, 2,000 mile trip across Michigan to chase ice and snow. I took nearly 3,000 photos during my time there and one of my favorite subjects was the ice covered lighthouse in Saint Joseph. The second I saw this lighthouse I was mesmerized with the intricate formations of ice encapsulating this 35 foot structure. I shot this lighthouse in the early afternoon the day prior, but I decided to come back in the morning to shoot this before sunrise so I could capture it with the light shining through the night. When I got here around 6AM after driving an hour through the cold of night, it was freezing at 17 degrees with the wind kicking, but the scene could not be more captivating. The darkness was starting to dissipate, which was making shooting the lighthouse more difficult, but I stood there patiently until I could capture the light coming from the lantern room. Sometimes becoming this obsessed with shooting a subject can seem crazy, but the passion, purpose, and meaning I find out of connecting with a subject and portraying it in the best possible light to bring it back to others is one of the greatest gifts in the world.

Saint Joseph, Michigan