When you’re chugging up river in a small military vessel, surrounded by deep jungle, and ‘The End’ by The Doors is playing on the radio, you never, ever, ever get out of the boat. I learned that in the mid-80’s when I first saw ‘Apocalypse Now’ [link to the greatest opening scene in movie history here]. Something else I learned, this time about twelve years ago, is you never, ever, ever get out of the car when you’ve been asked to take photos of an outdoor Event when it’s minus-stupid degrees outside… you stay in the car and let someone else do the shooting.

Just stay in the car, listen to CBC Radio One [listen here], keep the heater on, have a nice hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, and let the Intern do all the work… better yet, let the Intern get there on their own, and enjoy the hot chocolate while you stay warm at home while watching ‘Andor Season Two’ on Disney+. That’s my First Rule of ‘shooting an outdoor Event in the winter’, and it just makes so much sense.

So, yeah, I broke my first, and really only, Rule on winter photography on this past Sunday (Feb. 1, 2026), when I returned to the VKH Fair Grounds to take photos of the ‘Vankleek Hill Vintage Snowmobile Rally & Breakfast’ [link to the story in The Review]… I say ‘returned’ because the first time I took photos of this Event was waaaaaaaay back in 2013 [photo here], that time it was for The Review, this time it was for the Fair People. Last time it was for some quick cash, this time I volunteered. Whoops.

…anyway, I did go and do it, and I like the shots I took, and the Fair People — who are always good to me — like them as well. So that’s good. And I did enjoy being there… at least until the last twenty-minutes, because then it all turned into my own personal hell.

You see what I did there? That’s called a ‘teaser’, and sets up the next post. Until then, enjoy the photos I took and don’t forget to leave a comment… seriously, let me know what you think. Thanks.