we somehow managed to take these photos in 7° weather...
Doing a photoshoot at the Ice Castles has been on my bucket list for a few years now and I can finally cross it off the list! I recently moved to Minnesota from Florida and as you can imagine they only build these in states that stay cold enough for them not to melt. I had planned to travel to a state where they build them while also planning some other photoshoots in that area while I would be there. When I heard they host them in St. Paul, Minnesota I knew I had the perfect opportunity to go, I mean, now I only lived 7 miles away instead of 1,650 (yes I just looked up how many miles away my hometown is).
When I styled this shoot I wanted it to lean into a fashion-esque look so I paired a light blue silk dress with white fur accessories. That being said, by the time my schedule aligned with the model’s we ended up having to take these during one of the coldest weeks of the winter season. The lows each day were in the negatives and don’t even get me started on the wind chill. With snow falling every other day and the castles only staying open a few more days we knew we had to bite the bullet and full-send it. Luckily, Ainsley is from Wisconsin and kept reassuring me she would not get hypothermia (I had little faith).
With my model Ainsley’s safety being my number one concern, I prepared for this photoshoot in ways I never have before. At this point in my career, poses come to me naturally and I like to leave room for improv and last minute decisions during the shoot - but not this time. Heavily studying reference photos, creating a shot-list before the shoot in the order I planned on taking the photos, double and even triple checking that my camera bag was packed with first-aid essentials, and convincing her to bring a parka to put on between shots allowed us to work extremely quickly. Luckily with the way the castles are structured, most of the wind was blocked and it really didn’t feel like 7 degrees…according to the weather app it “felt like” 13 due to the humidity. Any extra degree of warmth was a bonus!
Once my fingers were officially frozen around my camera and Ainsley casually mentioned that her toes were numb we wrapped up (literally and figuratively) and ran back to the safety of my car with heated seats and the heat blasting to thaw us out. We immediately started looking at the photos and got so excited! If you also want to take photos at the ice castles, send me an inquiry and we can make it happen! This location is perfect for solo portraits, couples, and even bridal portraits!
Model: Ainsley Pennekamp - @ainsleypennekamp
Location: Minnesota Ice Castles
Styling: Nicole Leiner
