I’ve gotta admit, having shot the Coney Island Polar Bear Club’s annual Polar Bear Plunge for the last six or seven years, this was the coldest one I’ve ever photographed. On New Year’s Day, over a thousand participants braved the record-cold temperatures and harsh ice conditions, gathering on the boardwalk at Stillwell Avenue before moving to the beach, where they promptly ran into the frigid water. I stayed in the water from beginning to end — not the brightest idea I’ve ever had. By the time I got back to the car, my pants and jacket were frozen solid, and we had to cut my boots off my feet with a knife.