Frost crystals By Matt Young August 21, 2017 11:00 MST Photograph by Alan Rice. Photography contest, Runner-up. Imprint of frost crystals preserved in dried mud, El Mirage Lake Bed, California, USA. Dry lake beds like this one hold small quantities of water after storms. Before this photo was taken, water froze into ice crystals which were recorded into the Playa surface. The marks were erased by the next storm.