# Chicago Polar Bear Club - Crazy People



## inTempus (Jan 30, 2010)

I caught wind of the Chicago Polar Bear meetup today so I ran to Chicago to get some pics.   

These people are nuts.  It was 18 degrees and windy.  The water... I have no idea how cold it was, but it was COLD.  

Here are some shots, comments are welcome.


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## djrichie28 (Jan 30, 2010)

Very nice.  #2 and #4 certainly tell a story of how cold it must have been.  I suppose that is what photojournalism is supposed to do.  Well done.


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## pcacj (Jan 30, 2010)

OOOUUUUCCCCHHH !!!!!!!!


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## inTempus (Jan 30, 2010)

This is one of my favorites, I like how you have crazy guys out of focus in the foreground with the guy in the background almost in a trance like state... two totally different reactions.






From a traditional composition standpoint it's probably not the best... I just like the feeling of it.


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## Dmitri (Jan 30, 2010)

lol at the shorts of the guy in the second picture!! Great pics


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## Renol (Jan 31, 2010)

Oh gosh! Crazy is right but wow! Number 2 = by far best shot of the set


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## Big (Jan 31, 2010)

I think the guy on the left in #5 is cheating... :lmao:


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## PatrickHMS (Jan 31, 2010)

Big said:


> I think the guy on the left in #5 is cheating... :lmao:


 
At first glance, thought he might be a photographer, but we aren't that crazy, are we?

Probably couldn't get wet, might catch a cold.

Or whipped, and wife wouldn't let him go in without the snowmobile suit, but wait till the suit gets all wet and waterlogged.


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## Goontz (Jan 31, 2010)

PatrickHMS said:


> Or whipped, and wife wouldn't let him go in without the snowmobile suit, but wait till the suit gets all wet and waterlogged.



Lol, that's a drysuit. I bet you he's got some perfectly dry and warm clothes on underneath it. My guess is he's rescue personnel that's there just in case someone spends a little too much time in the water 

Very cool shots, inTempus! Post more if ya got em.


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## mom2eight (Jan 31, 2010)

No 2 made me laugh!!! Those people are insane.  I want even get in my pool when its 70 degrees.  Yikes


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## inTempus (Jan 31, 2010)

Goontz said:


> PatrickHMS said:
> 
> 
> > Or whipped, and wife wouldn't let him go in without the snowmobile suit, but wait till the suit gets all wet and waterlogged.
> ...


You nailed it.  The guys in the dry suits are rescue divers from the Chicago Fire Department.  They were there to make sure no one died.    I would have thought they would have been very busy, but it seems everyone survived.

I haven't processed anymore of them.  I'll post more later tonight if I get a chance. I'm glad you like them.


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## Iron Flatline (Jan 31, 2010)

They're good... They work because I get chilly just looking at them. I wish the shot composition was less crowded in 4 + 5.


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## inTempus (Jan 31, 2010)

Iron Flatline said:


> They're good... They work because I get chilly just looking at them. I wish the shot composition was less crowded in 4 + 5.


Yeah, I tried to single out people as much as I could.  You had 150 people all running and jumping in at the roughly the same time at an entry point that is about 20ft wide.  It was a stream of people darting in and jumping right back out.  Sheer madness.  The whole thing only lasted a few minutes.  I fired off as many shots as I could trying to get some semblance of composition where I could.

I was happy I got as many keepers as I did.  I didn't expect that many given the circumstances.


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## inTempus (Jan 31, 2010)

Dmitri said:


> lol at the shorts of the guy in the second picture!! Great pics



Here's a straight on shot of the shorts... they are funny.


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## inTempus (Jan 31, 2010)

Here's a couple more.


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## DScience (Jan 31, 2010)

Nice, but there a little soft.


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## inTempus (Jan 31, 2010)

DScience said:


> Nice, but there a little soft.


It's because I was using the Gary Fong Lightsphere.


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## Dominantly (Jan 31, 2010)

Or a Canon... One of the two.


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## Nikon_Dude (Feb 1, 2010)

I want me a pair of those shorts. 

Great pics by the way.


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## Antarctican (Feb 1, 2010)

Excellent shots! I'm sure I'd have needed a defibrillator, as the shock of that cold water would literally take my breath away.

(And the guy's shorts are tooooo funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


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## DScience (Feb 1, 2010)

inTempus said:


> DScience said:
> 
> 
> > Nice, but there a little soft.
> ...



LOL Oh, well that is probably why the lighting is so soft and nice.


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