Calgary photographer produces viral ice bubble video during cold snap

CALGARY – It's cold enough on the prairies to make ice bubbles.

Calgary photographer Chris Ratzlaff spent part of Boxing Day outside, freezing and photographing bubbles.

He created the bubbles using a straw with a mixture of corn starch, dish soap and salt.

One of the videos taken as a bubble iced over has gone viral with more than 200,000 views.

"When it gets really cold out and you are stuck inside and have nothing to do, you might as well go out and do something," he told The Canadian Press. "It's a fun thing to do. It's a challenge when you get this cold to come up with something new and different to photograph."

Ratzlaff said he didn't expect the bubbles to generate so much interest.

"People really like bubbles," he said. "It's quite fascinating when it starts to catch on and it goes a little bit nuts.

"People don't like the cold weather, but they like to see what you can do."

The weather in Calgary has been extremely cold all week. Temperatures were hovering around -30 C on Boxing Day when he took the video.

The cold snap is expected to lift next week.