Since it's been very hot in so many parts of the U.S. and Europe, I thought this picture might help you cool off -- at least mentally. This is the Ice Festival in Harbin, China. What you are seeing is an entire city made out of blocks and sculptures of solid ice. When I took this shot, it was minus 36 degrees Fahrenheit (-38 Celsius). At midday, the temperature rose to -2 F (-19 Celsius). To get this elevated perspective, I had to climb three flights of ice steps in an ice building holding on to an ice railing. The blocks of ice in all the buildings have been drilled to accommodate colored lights, and the entire city has been wired to synchronize with music. It's quite remarkable. Many of the ice structures replicate, in an artistic way, famous icons around the world such as the Roman Coliseum, Big Ben, the State of Liberty, Buckingham Palace, etc. I keep my fingers warm and safe from frostbite by placing 6 hand warmers in the right pocket of my parka. That makes the pocket interior hot, not just warm. I only wear a glove liner on my right hand, and when my fingers get cold -- every minute or so -- I hold the hand warmers tightly to infuse warmth into them. In this way, I maintain manual dexterity. For my feet, I have boots rated at -100 F. I feel like Godzilla when I go outside in them, but my toes don't get cold. The settings for this shot were .5 seconds, f/22, and 200 ISO, and I used a 105mm focal length.
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