Ice Seahorse

Reading this title, you must be thinking I am about to talk about a magician.Someone who will create an illusion right before your eyes. There is an illusion involved but not with the human eye. Instead, it happens in your photographs.

Intrigued? Curious? Eager to know?

Okay

A recent vacation took us to the waterfront of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. I came across a brochure advertising magical ice sculptures. It was called Magic Ice and I was curious. In August, St. Thomas is very, very hot. Having been to the island several times before, we were looking for something we hadn’t seen or done.

We decided … Hot = need a cooler place to be …. so off we went to find this Magic Ice place.

The front entrance doesn’t give you any indication of cold.

Owners description: We welcome you to the biggest permanent ice gallery in the world! Magic Ice`s entire exhibition is constructed of crystal clear ice consisting of beautiful sculptures, a kids slide, wedding chapel and a pirate ship bar, all made of ICE!Large parts of the exhibition will emphasize the rich history of the Caribbean. You will get a glimpse into the 18th century lifestyle. Here you will find sculptures from the “Golden Age of Piracy” and at the pirate ship ice bar you will receive your drink. Photos and videos are welcomed and our staff look forward to taking you on a tour!

We entered and paid our fee of which included a shot of any flavored or plain

Cruzan rum in addition to the shot glass with the Magic Ice logo. Non-drinkers can enjoy a cold shot of soda.

Dressed in our cold weather ponchos with furry hoods and gloves we were ready to view this ice sculptures. The cold blast as you enter is a shock in comparison to the brutal heat left behind. My glasses fogged up as soon as I entered. Laughing at our oversized ponchos and my inability to see through foggy glasses, I had a sense this was going to be fun.Upon entering, a guide told us the ice sculptures could not be touched with the exception of the throne chair where we could sit and take a photograph. He explained that it was a self-guided walk and we were welcome to take as many photos as we’d like.

      I found the ice throne chair a bit cold when I sat on it.

The ice sculptures appear white when you view them. The colors appear in your photos.                                                            It’s achieved by leaving your flash off.

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Magic Ice Colors

This is the bar where your Cruzan rum is served in a chilled shot glass. There was a large crowd that day. You could purchase additional shots if that is your thing. It was a lively group with the bartender taking photos of you and your drink.

After a bit of festivity, our friendly bartender asked for my camera as he was going to take the photo of us in the midst of this chilly fun party. He tried several times to capture the photo. Finally, he said the camera button was stuck. I took the camera and tried to take a photo.

After I captured 3 photos that looked like this ….

I panicked. Abruptly, I turned and started looking for the exit. I thought my camera was ruined. I had one thought and one thought only … I’ve got to get this camera outside. I couldn’t remove the big poncho and gloves quickly enough. I sat on a bench and hugged my camera. I was beside myself. After my very patient husband calmed me down, he viewed the lens and found it did have fog on it. I had no idea what to do. I put it in my carrying case and decided I would look at it after I had calmed down a bit more. Eventually, I took it out and I was able to capture a few photos of some flowers and trees as test shots. It has been okay ever since.

The photo above still shows a hazy cloud …                                                                                                                                           The one below is a little better but not quite there.                                                                                                            However, I was much more hopeful once I saw these 2 photos.

I don’t know if there’s a special camera lens for photos in colder climates. If anyone knows what happened and would like to share, please do, or if you have a post on this type of photographing leave the url and I will add it to my story. Overall, it was a fun place to visit. I captured the ice sculptures I could considering the amount of people visiting that day.

2015©Isadora