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Liquid Mountains: I Captured Lake Erie On The Day It Came Alive And Showed Its True Power
My name is Dave Sandford. I have been a professional photographer for 18 years. Shooting professional sports has paid the bills, but I’ve been the most passionate about anything to do with our beautiful nature and especially water. Oceans and lakes beckon me. Since I was a kid, I’ve loved to be on, in or around water. I’m fascinated by the sheer raw power and force of it, captivated by the graceful movement of big waves and mesmerized by light dancing across it.
Recently, I have felt drawn to the lakes that are virtually in the backyard of my hometown of London, Ont., Canada. Specifically, the awe-inspiring Great Lakes. Lake Erie, the 4th largest of the Great Lakes caught my attention for this nature photography essay. I chose to focus on Erie at a time of year (mid-October through December) when the Great Lakes can act more like oceans than lakes. With warm sunny beach days behind us, it is some of Autumn’s dark, cold and windy days that transform the Great Lakes into wickedly wild and treacherous bodies of water, perfect for taking stunning nature photos.
Lake Erie is 388km in length and approximately 92km across. It is also the shallowest of the Great Lakes, with an average depth of 62’ and the maximum depth of 210’. Lake Erie’s name originates from a native tribe called the lake “Erige” (“cat”) due to the unpredictable and at times dangerously violent nature. Because of the shallowness of the lake, conditions can change dramatically in just a matter of minutes, with fierce waves springing up unexpectedly. Lake Erie’s unpredictable and violent nature has laid claim to some 1800-8000 shipwrecks dating back to the 17th century, most of which have never been found.
Over the last 4 weeks for 2-3 days a week, sometimes 6 hours a day, I did the 45 min drive to Lake Erie. The powerful images here were made using my Canon gear, 1Dx body, 400mm & 70-200mm lenses, protected from the elements by my Aquatech sport’s housing and sport’s shield gear. Shot during the month of November on the North shore of Lake Erie, about 500’-600’ off-shore from a small lakeside community called Port Stanley, Ontario. Daily temperatures ranging from -2 up to 14 degrees celsius, sustained wind speeds of 45-50km/ph, gusting 70-100+ km/ph, the average water temperature of 11 celsius, and wave heights reaching 25’. It is days like these that most people stay away from the lake… It’s days like these, when Erie comes alive, showing it’s true power. These are the days I can’t wait to get to the lake and create interesting photos!
More info: davesandfordphotos.com | Facebook | Instagram
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DaveGollihugh 10 years ago
I live in a beach house on Lake Erie. The side of my house facing the lake has huge windows and a sliding glass door. As long as the sun is up, I nearly never have the TV on. There is nothing it can show me that can compete with the majestic beauty of that Great Lake. Frozen dunes form in the winter, becoming a surreal landscape from another world. Watching the ice break up in the Spring is mesmerizing. Summertime means blue water with boats and ships of all descriptions, and sunsets of true beauty. Fall ushers in some reminders that Nature still rules, with storm tossed seas that nobody dares contest. The waters can be alive and angry, and will sometimes do things that seem impossible. Your photos have caught some of this... and that is rare. You deserve much credit for your skill and artistry, sir.
BadgerJohnson 10 years ago
Dave, where approximately do you live? We had a cabin in 'Geneva-on-the-Lake' in the 50s. Love your comment.
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PriyankaJatan 10 years ago
Woah...I especially like eerie eerie- you can see a skeleton forming!!!! Wow-you are really good with your photos. Good hobby to pay bills:)
DaveSandford (Post author) 10 years ago
haha thank you very much, it's always amazing to see the shape waves take on that literally last mere hundredths of a second, things you would never see with the naked eye.
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PatriciaA.McGoldrick 10 years ago
Incredible photos! Scary, especially the Gales of November. That led me to imagining how fierce the waters were for the Edmund Fitzgerald on another one of the Great Lakes.
DaveSandford (Post author) 10 years ago
Thanks for the nice message Patricia! Yes the great lakes can be darn scary at times.. i often think the same thing to myself.. it's hard to even imagine what took down the Edmund Fitzgerald 40 years ago.
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JayZarkovacki 10 years ago
I am an artist who is never impressed by modern photography. But I've never felt so inclined to buy a print in my life. Do you have a website or something? This is nothing short of genius.
DaveSandford (Post author) 10 years ago
Wow Jay, that's quite the compliment! Thank you very much.I do have a site, it however isn't updated with this content. You can find it on my Sandford Photography page on Facebook or Instagram @sandfordpix also please contact me at dave@davesandfordphotos.com thanks again, look forward to hearing from you.
Load More Replies...
MeghanManson 10 years ago
I live just a mile from Lake Erie. Cleveland, Ohio. I have never seen Lake Erie look so Gorgeous! Truly amazing pictures.
SaraCampos 10 years ago
This is inreal! My family has spent generations of summers at Lake Erie. My parents met there, my sister was married lake front and we have a little cottage lake front and we have a tiny cottage lale front and watch the storms come in. A friend of my uncle has also been lost and never found. My Uncle stated once 'Lake Erie doesn't give up it's dead." When I tell people where we spend our summers a lot of times people picture a flat lake with no waves. I have seen this lake angry many times but never like this! What you captured is the real deal. She is not a Lake you want to mess with. Now we have a better idea of what the Fitzgerald saw! Terrifying!!!!! Awesome photographs!!!! I will pass on to my family!
SamJennings 10 years ago
Hey Dave. Sick pics. Glad they're going viral. I'm from St thomas and love to rep. Local. Do you have prints available.....or a website perhaps? Thanks.
DaveSandford (Post author) 10 years ago
Hi Sam, Thanks for the message and the kind words. Yes i sell prints, if you don't mind going to the link on my website for email or my Facebook page Sandford Photography, or DM on instagram @sandfordpix and i can get you a specs sheet with all the info you need. Much Appreciated, thanks again for reaching out.
Load More Replies...
Baked_Potato 10 years ago
Awesome. Loved it, but are November Witch and Witch of November the same? They looked pretty much alike.
DaveSandford (Post author) 10 years ago
Thank you for the comments, glad you like them! To answer your question, November Witch, and Witch of November are intact two different waves. While i agree they are similar looking waves in structure, they we're photographed on two different days.
Load More Replies... DaveGollihugh 10 years ago
I live in a beach house on Lake Erie. The side of my house facing the lake has huge windows and a sliding glass door. As long as the sun is up, I nearly never have the TV on. There is nothing it can show me that can compete with the majestic beauty of that Great Lake. Frozen dunes form in the winter, becoming a surreal landscape from another world. Watching the ice break up in the Spring is mesmerizing. Summertime means blue water with boats and ships of all descriptions, and sunsets of true beauty. Fall ushers in some reminders that Nature still rules, with storm tossed seas that nobody dares contest. The waters can be alive and angry, and will sometimes do things that seem impossible. Your photos have caught some of this... and that is rare. You deserve much credit for your skill and artistry, sir.
BadgerJohnson 10 years ago
Dave, where approximately do you live? We had a cabin in 'Geneva-on-the-Lake' in the 50s. Love your comment.
Load More Replies... PriyankaJatan 10 years ago
Woah...I especially like eerie eerie- you can see a skeleton forming!!!! Wow-you are really good with your photos. Good hobby to pay bills:)
DaveSandford (Post author) 10 years ago
haha thank you very much, it's always amazing to see the shape waves take on that literally last mere hundredths of a second, things you would never see with the naked eye.
Load More Replies... PatriciaA.McGoldrick 10 years ago
Incredible photos! Scary, especially the Gales of November. That led me to imagining how fierce the waters were for the Edmund Fitzgerald on another one of the Great Lakes.
DaveSandford (Post author) 10 years ago
Thanks for the nice message Patricia! Yes the great lakes can be darn scary at times.. i often think the same thing to myself.. it's hard to even imagine what took down the Edmund Fitzgerald 40 years ago.
Load More Replies... JayZarkovacki 10 years ago
I am an artist who is never impressed by modern photography. But I've never felt so inclined to buy a print in my life. Do you have a website or something? This is nothing short of genius.
DaveSandford (Post author) 10 years ago
Wow Jay, that's quite the compliment! Thank you very much.I do have a site, it however isn't updated with this content. You can find it on my Sandford Photography page on Facebook or Instagram @sandfordpix also please contact me at dave@davesandfordphotos.com thanks again, look forward to hearing from you.
Load More Replies... MeghanManson 10 years ago
I live just a mile from Lake Erie. Cleveland, Ohio. I have never seen Lake Erie look so Gorgeous! Truly amazing pictures.
SaraCampos 10 years ago
This is inreal! My family has spent generations of summers at Lake Erie. My parents met there, my sister was married lake front and we have a little cottage lake front and we have a tiny cottage lale front and watch the storms come in. A friend of my uncle has also been lost and never found. My Uncle stated once 'Lake Erie doesn't give up it's dead." When I tell people where we spend our summers a lot of times people picture a flat lake with no waves. I have seen this lake angry many times but never like this! What you captured is the real deal. She is not a Lake you want to mess with. Now we have a better idea of what the Fitzgerald saw! Terrifying!!!!! Awesome photographs!!!! I will pass on to my family!
SamJennings 10 years ago
Hey Dave. Sick pics. Glad they're going viral. I'm from St thomas and love to rep. Local. Do you have prints available.....or a website perhaps? Thanks.
DaveSandford (Post author) 10 years ago
Hi Sam, Thanks for the message and the kind words. Yes i sell prints, if you don't mind going to the link on my website for email or my Facebook page Sandford Photography, or DM on instagram @sandfordpix and i can get you a specs sheet with all the info you need. Much Appreciated, thanks again for reaching out.
Load More Replies... Baked_Potato 10 years ago
Awesome. Loved it, but are November Witch and Witch of November the same? They looked pretty much alike.
DaveSandford (Post author) 10 years ago
Thank you for the comments, glad you like them! To answer your question, November Witch, and Witch of November are intact two different waves. While i agree they are similar looking waves in structure, they we're photographed on two different days.
Load More Replies...
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