When Others Run Away For Cover, I Head To The Lake Erie Shore To Capture The Beauty Of Waves

My name is Trevor Pottelberg. I am a fine art landscape photographer living in Brownsville, Ontario, Canada. I spend countless hours exploring Southern Ontario, looking for unique light and subject matter. When the wind conditions get to the point where I can no longer capture landscapes without introducing subject blur, I turn to the waves. While most people are heading for cover, I head to the Lake Erie shoreline.

I am fortunate enough to live within a 45 minute drive of a number of small lakeside ports. The atmosphere in these locations can go from very calming to absolutely angry in a very short period of time. Shooting in gale force winds comes with it's own set of challenges, obstacles and dangers, but the rewards are often worth the risk.

I apply the same principles of light, shape and form when composing my wave captures as I do with my landscapes. I'm not always looking to capture just a close up shot of a wave. There are instances where more elements in the scene must be included in order to give the viewer a real sense of the environment surrounding the wave itself.

The majority of these waves are generated during the fall / early winter months when the temperatures are really fluctuating and sharp cold fronts are passing through. Unfortunately, some of the best conditions happen to be when the temperatures are in the sub zero range. I have twice developed frost bite in my fingers during the past year due to shooting in extreme conditions. I now have permanent nerve damage and extreme sensitivity to the cold.

During my editing phase, I often find many waves that take on the form of creatures, animals, objects and faces. I love it when someone looks at my work and finds a form that I didn't initially see. It brings back childhood memories of laying on my back in the warm summer grass and scanning the sky for various shapes in the passing clouds. These forms in the waves happen too quickly for the naked eye to see, which leaves it up to me to capture and share them with the rest of the world to enjoy!

More info: trevorpottelberg.com