I took this picture of a baby harp seal apparently laughing at some inside joke in minus 45-degree weather (-42.8 Celsius) in the Magdalen Islands off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Remembering the frigid conditions inspired me to write an article about winter photography for the next issue of my free monthly eMagazine, Photo Insights (you can subscribe to it with a link at the bottom of my home page, www.jimzuckerman.com). I shot this with film, and to be honest, I was surprised that my Mamiya RZ 67 still functioned in the extreme cold. The lubricants in the shutter blades worked just fine, but remember that I had no idea if my camera was working properly until I returned home and developed the transparency film. I judged the light using a handheld meter -- the Sekonic L-358. We had to wear neon orange expedition suits over our parkas in case we fell into a soft spot in the pack ice because we'd be easier to locate. My settings were, based on how I used to shoot, 1/250, f/11, and I used Fujichrome Provia 100 as well as a tripod.
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