Moss, Ice Globes

Water from a nearby creek had splashed onto this moss in freezing December temperatures, encapsulating the brightly coloured plant in tiny crystal balls of ice. I liked the lyrical flow, how the globes of ice together swirled one way, the moss the other. The moss seemed strangely healthy, even though it had probably been frozen this way for weeks.

The tiny scene was under a slab of rock at the lip of a small waterfall, and was very difficult to photograph without falling into the icy flow. I set up my tripod on the slick rocks, balancing it with my camera bag to cantilever it over the creek. I strained and balanced to see through the viewfinder, composing this photograph quickly before the lens got too wet in the splashing water.

This photograph reminds me of the toughness of life, how hardy even delicate looking things can be.