Lens on St. Croix Valley: St. Croix Sundog

St. Croix Sundog
Rare atmospheric phenomenon captured in Stillwater.
Second Place: City Landmarks

“It was a Friday. I had just dropped off my two sons at [school]. It was 17 below out. I was on my way to work, and I had a 9 a.m. meeting, but when I turned my car out from the school, there was this gargantuan sun dog in the sky,” says Jonathan Quijano, photographer of St. Croix Sundog, which received second place in the City Landmarks category of the 2022 Lens on St. Croix Valley photo contest. “I rescheduled my meeting. Then I headed over to the Second Street hill in Stillwater … How often do you get to see a huge sun dog shimmering symmetrical over the center of the St. Croix River? Sun dogs themselves are rare, and this one in particular was ridiculous.”

Although Quijano owns a Canon SLR, he didn’t have it with him at the time. “I had my iPhone on panorama mode,” he says. “I only got a few shots before my phone froze and shut off.”

Photographer: Jonathan Quijano
Title: St. Croix Sundog
Equipment: iPhone SE
Location: Second St., Stillwater