Once again, my busy day jobs have been keeping me separated from photography. I’m in health care and since COVID ramped up, I’ve been working so much. I’m behind on posting Thailand blogs (that trip was two years ago!) and lots of little day and weekend trips we were able to go on during the summer when COVID numbers were low in Alberta.

This past week, I did have a small bit of time and energy, and I decided to try frozen bubble photography!

The weather has been perfect for this little experiment; our daytime highs have been around -25° Celsius (-13 Fahrenheit) with a windchill as low as -40° C (-40 F). Most of the prairies (and the rest of Canada) has been locked in a polar vortex for nearly a week, so I had nothing better to do with my time. Frozen bubbles are just that- bubbles you blow up with a straw, like you used to do as a kid, blowing bubbles in your milk. The bubbles quickly begin to freeze and crystallize with beautiful, magical patterns. You can find recipes all over the internet and there are lots of “how-to” videos on YouTube. I used glycerin in mine rather than corn syrup, as that’s what I had available (and I wasn’t going to warm up the car and take a trip for supplies in this weather).

The bubbles are easy to make, especially if you watch a video for advice, and as long as the wind isn’t too strong. My only advice, is to have your equipment, supplies and camera settings all ready, so you don’t have to spend more time than needed outdoors in frigid weather to get your shot. I managed about 20 minutes before my hands were too cold and my bubble solution was getting watered down with ice buildup.

This is a great activity to try with kids, or even on your own. The bubbles are quite magical as they crust over with crystals and develop amazing patterns and striations. If you haven’t tried it, bundle up, get out there and give it a go – it’ll be spring before you know it!

Thanks for stopping by! Stay safe at home, until we can travel the world once more!

-L