I found this intimate scene in a giant ice waterfall. The little branch holding snow and reaching out from within the ice fall gave me an impression of an offering. It felt like a quiet, yet emotional plea by the branch to appease the ice, so it wouldn’t get fully engulfed by it.
Feedback Requests
I am wondering if the eye is drawn to the branch with the use of the vignetting and if the overall color and contrast is adequate.
Pertinent Technical Details
This was shot with a micro 4/3rd camera, so the dynamic range is not as wide as it is for a full frame.
I used a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens.
97mm, 1/60 sec, f/18, ISO 500
This is a stunning composition. The small branch definitely does catch my attention and I instantly got the impression that whatever plant that branch belonged to was sending out plea offering of snow.
It imparts a feeling of hopeful desperation.
Aside from that, the composition is wonderful the terraced ice levels and the spot light come together nicely and hold the attention. The color pallet impart the sensation of cold, as it should.
Thank you Youssef for pointing out the strong points of the photo. It is hugely helpful!!
And, I really love that descriptive statement “hopeful desperation,” that really says it all!
Oh my gosh, this is superb! The sense of depth is incredible and my eye is drawn immediately to the little branch with its offering. I think the eye would be drawn to the little branch with or without the vignetting. As far as the vignetting, it feels a bit overdone, especially on the right-hand side. I can tell there’s a vignette and a good rule of thumb is if you can tell there’s a vignette, it’s too strong. Well, unless you really go for it artistically. At any rate, this is really outstanding. Oh, and welcome to NPN!
All said above – this is absolutely wonderful!! I’m not good enough with words to add to what has already been said so I’ll just say how much I like it!
I’ll add my welcome --I do hope to see more of your work!!
Thank you so much, Bonnie! It’s great to know that the branch is what draws your eye in. I really appreciate your helpful suggestion about the vignetting too. I had a subtle one and then increased it before posting. It will be good for me to go back and take a look at the image and play with various strengths.
I can’t say much more than has already been said - this is a fantastic image (a trifle blue for me, but that’s just my taste). However, I don’t know why you felt compelled to apologize for your gear. I’ve been shooting 4/3 and now M4/3 cameras since 2006 and have never felt that my gear was sub par. My work stands on its own and makes me happy and that’s really all that counts. I hope that you can get into a more positive mindset in that way, because if this is an example of your work, you should be more than satisfied with it. Welcome to NPN - I hope you feel happy here and contribute often not only with images, but with critique, evaluation and input on those others submit.
Sorry Bonnie, I don’t know why my reply to Kristen went to you, and I can’t seem to delete or edit it.
I need to learn better, how this platform works.
Thank you, Kristen! The stronger vignetting did intensify the blue and I had questioned that in my mind, so your observation is helpful.
As for micro 4/3, I didn’t mean to come off as apologizing. I absolutely love my OM1 mi & mii cameras. They go everywhere with me and are used more often than my ff’s. I love the size and computational features that make shooting an absolute joy! I do however notice it’s limitations and am strategic about when I need to use a different system.
@irene2 What I usually do to reply to commenters is to wait until there are a few comments, then thank them en masse. You can do this by replying to your own message using the yellow “Critique Image or Reply” button at the very bottom of your post. Then start typing with an @ and a list of people who have commented will pop up and you can choose who you want to reply to one by one. I think most folks here are ok with not getting an immediate reply to their critiques/comments and are fine being thanked altogether. Less work for you, too.
Within that message, you can quote someone to specifically respond. Just highlight the parts of a comment you want to reply to, then click the “Quote” button. It will be placed in your message and you can type below it.
This type of photo is among my favorites. Love the composition and the vignette. It could possibly be a bit lighter and still maintain the wonderful blue color. For me, I have found that a slightly brighter image conveys the cold better, especially since it is light that causes the blue to form. It’s beautiful just the way it is though. The branch holding snow is a magical part of this scene.
Hi, to be honest when I saw your image, at first glance I think about a bird or an animal I the middle of a big ice fall. Looking closer and I saw the branch, understand the scale of your image. If eyes is moving around your image because of line, shape and various exposition, we are always coming back to the branch. To answer your question about the vignette, yes it helps more probably but your composition is very strong and without it will work as well I think.
I just love this photo Irene. The textures of the ice are so nice, and they vary within the frame. The brighter areas neatly frame the darker areas and create several levels from top to bottom of the image. Wonderful work.
