I’ve been approached by men to photograph them and politely turned them down.

I admit, not all transformations in the world end with butterflies (Think ladybugs). But I love telling stories of butterflies while transforming women. At least that’s what I thought, until I arrived in the land of extreme.

It was near the end of the yet another incredibly cold day. They say there’s a surprise for us. I’d already used up the last ounce of heat that my body was capable of generating, after spending time at the site of the ship wreck.

Maybe it’s the vast landscape, the fire, the light, or the combination of all of them, everything seemed so magical. I couldn’t believe my eyes and had to document the beauty with something that (presumably) doesn’t lie.

We spent countless hours behind ski-doos traversing the frozen terra on this trip. Not once before did it look like Kevin is going somewhere (or everywhere) distributing gifts like Santa Clause.

Sure, Santa may be from the far north. No way this Nolan guy is Russian. I thought he’s just explaining to me that we are at the border line between two provinces/territories - on this side is Manitoba, and, over there, it’s Nunavut.

Russian or not, Nolan sure is a natural in front of the camera. Maybe being some sort of director helps, like Director of Operations. And Kevin, standing next to Nolan, was trying his darnest to hold back the laughter that was about to burst.

As to our scout Butch, it’s mission impossible to photograph him on a ski-doo. By the time I lock focus on him, he’d already be where sky and land meet.

Lucky me, this time, I found the equalizer between he and me. With a cup of his favorite beverage on hand, he became the best model I could ask for, no transformation needed.

When the sun finally made its disappearance, I was more than content. At that point I realized, oops, I broke my own rule!

P.S. For the sake of full disclosure, I did have some mulled wine while making these images.