“Water brings me energy. To see waves pounding, to feel the spray, and to taste it in the air is always an amazing thing. Water is a living, breathing thing, continually moving. I feel it in my soul.” – Ed Lehming

Today’s image is a break from the calm, serene beach scenes that I have been posting recently. Today’s image, captured in the same place that last week yielded gently rolling waves, has transformed into a dark and angry blender of rocks and pounding surf.

After all, it is now January, and Lake Ontario is not known to lay dormant for long. Today, as I left my house, I was anticipating dreamy seascapes, with gentle snow wafting down. Because, at my house, a mere 20 minutes from this location, there was no wind and the sky was a mix of sun and cloud.

Imagine my surprise when I pulled into the parking area and saw massive whitecaps breaking on the lake. That changed everything. I was excited to see the churning waves and frozen shoreline. There was nothing serene about it; it was pure, raging energy.

I walked along the shore to my regular vantage points, all transformed by the storms that raged over the lake, but not above me. Where I stood, sunlight broke through and lit up the water, to a point where the images I was previewing looked like paintings; the storm surge was just that intense. And in the background, black storm clouds, the squalls produced over Lake Ontario by cold north-west winds, were seen clearly on the horizon. This is winter on the Great Lakes; the lakes, with their still relatively warm waters, have not frozen over, and wind picks up moisture and turns it to snow in the form of intense squall lines.

Standing on the shore making this image was a glorious but bone-chilling experience. I loved the play of light on the horizon as the sun occasionally broke through. You can see the snow falling near the horizon on the left and the blue sky to the right. That is how fast the wind makes now.

The image is a bit darker and more brooding than my regular style, but I’m trying to stay true to my intent on accurately communicating the mood that I experience as I witness these scenes. I’m pleased with the results of my first excursion of 2025 and hope to share more over the coming days.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 24-70 mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 24 mm
1/320 sec, f/9, ISO 400