Public Favourite - Baikal Treasure © Alexey Trofimov

Photographer name: Alexey Trofimov

From: Bratsk, Siberia, Russian Federation

Age: 50

Photo title: Baikal Treasure

Photo location: Kotelnokovsky cap, Lake Baikal, Russia Federation

Date photo taken: February 27, 2013

Story behind the photo: I took this photo during an expedition on the ice of Lake Baikal. On the first day we arrived at Cape Kotelnikovsky, where I was attracted by ice hummocks and a snow cover. It was noon, not really my photo time. But the light that the sun gave, refracting in blocks of ice, caught my attention and made me take this picture.

Weather caption: Located in the Russian region of Siberia, Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest and largest freshwater lake – containing about one-fifth of the freshwater on Earth. During winter, average temperatures are around -21°C, whilst in summer they are roughly 11°C. With temperatures so cold for nearly half a year, the lake is covered in ice for almost five months. As the temperature drops through winter, the uneven freezing of the lake results in some blocks being pushed up, which are then sculpted by the wind, sublimation, melting and refreezing. Lake Baikal is renowned for its many ice formations and their turquoise appearance.

Technical details:

Camera:              Canon EOS 500D

Shutter speed:    1/250

Aperture:            f/11

Focal length:     10 mm

ISO:                   100