Life on the Great Plains is physically difficult, but there is a unique beauty within that difficulty. This image was created in the "blue hour" after sunset on a day when the wind chill was -35°C. It was that brutal cold that led me to the biting iciness of this image.

Knowing that the best opportunity for a large gathering of active Bald Eagles in the continental U.S. is often the relatively small patch of open water at the spillway of a dam where the river is otherwise frozen over. I travelled with 3 other photographers in mid-February to the dam at Gavin's Point near Yankton, South Dakota, on the Missouri River. We arrived the night before to be in position at dawn the next morning. And the dawn came clear and cold with a stiff wind.

What we hadn't researched was that instead of the typical small patch of open water before the river re-freezes, Gavin's point is the beginning of a narrow channel that extends more than 30 miles, with the water moving quickly and clear. This means the eagles weren't obliged to gather in a small area near the annoyance of humans.

We spent all that cold and disappointing day attempting to photograph Bald Eagles fishing. And while we captured some good images of eagles flying by or perched in trees, as the light began to fade, we were ready to head for the warmth of home. Being stubborn, I saw the beginning of a good sunset and climbed higher on the bluff above the lake. The sunset was good, though nothing special, but I persevered, waiting to see what would appear. And toward the very end of the blue hour, I was rewarded with this spectacular interplay of the light and the frozen lake.