Nate Vomhof shoots plenty of postcard-esque scenes of Milwaukee in summer, but he also enjoys seeing the city literally freeze. For much of early winter, he watches the river and lake ice grow, retreat and shift in an intricate dance. Here, the backdrop of “sea smoke” steam – not an enormous wave! – tells of warm-ish water clashing with the subzero temperatures. What’s with that band of ice spanning the river parallel to the Hoan? No idea, he says. This dance holds mysteries. We asked him more about this photo – and the different side of Milwaukee he photographs during the winter.

Man, this looks cold. When did you take this shot, and what was the weather like?

Very cold. Negative temperatures. I took this shot during one of the cold spells last winter. The temperatures were frigid –

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