At the outset of last August’s canoe trip I set two intentions for myself in terms of photography. The first was to devote time to visualizing in black and white and the second was to look beyond the grand landscape to more intimate aspects of the world in which I was moving. This image was an attempt to actualize both. I vividly remember taking this picture. We’d spent almost two days at this location and I was trying to capture the power of the roaring rapids that ran alongside our campsite. Trying to get everything, I wasn’t having much luck getting anything. The morning we were packing up to leave, as I went to wash up the dishes I saw this little wave, not part of the main rapids, just a little riffle coming off the side by the shore. I begged my wife to give me 10 minutes (she knew that meant at least twenty) to take a picture. It is a picture about the elegance of the wave form. I loved how it curled so beautifully and then transformed into the turbulence. So that’s what the image is trying to capture, that simple elegance and nothing much more than that. The extent to which I’ve succeeded, I’m not sure. I’m fascinated by the shapes of moving water particularly at the edge of chaos, the point where it transforms from its ordered shape and form into something more formless and chaotic. I was always captivated by Leonardo’s attempts to draw it. And why should I think myself above Leonardo – I have found capturing that transition frustratingly elusive. Any thoughts or feelings on how this image works for you along those lines or suggestions how I might get closer to my objective (well, along with “take more pictures?”)
Fujifilm XT-2, Fujinon 55-200mm, ISO 200, f/14, 148.5mm, 1/15sec.
Interesting and striking. I really like the juxtaposition of the smooth water relative to the disturbed or turbulent water!
Kerry,
I think you did a fabulous job with this photograph. I absolutely love the wave and its elegance. The motion blur in it is perfect and glassy. I do not think you need as much foreground not the non-chaotic dark spots at the top. I would crop those portions out like this.
I think it leads to more emphasis on the elegant wave and the transition into chaos better.
Kerry, this wave looks spectacular, it looks almost metallic. It is definitely the star of this image, which is why I think Youssef’s crop enhances it even further. Sometimes it takes a while at a location to connect with it, I’m glad you decided to sped the extra 20 minutes 
Thanks, Chris, Youssef and Ed, for your feedback, much appreciated. I confess, I did experiment with alternate cropping for reasons that Youssef and Ed pointed out and, indeed, one of the crops I did was almost identical to Youssef’s. But in the end, I preferred the balance of the original and decided to go with that. While I like this image, I still feel like it is a part of a series of sketches that will hopefully bring me closer to what I’m after.
I have no feedback on improvements. This shot is stylish and elegant. It’s well processed. Really good job
I really like the power in this image. B&W really works very well with this image and makes it very artistic. I personally like the crop just the way you have it. To me you loose some of the feeling of power when you start cropping.
This is epic. Such incredible depth and texture. Thank you wife for the exxtra time and print this for her large 
aF
I agree that the original crop is superior. That’s because it preserves the dark arc that mimics the arc of the wave itself. This type of composition is more common in surfing magazines than it is in rivers. Good job. Leonardo Di Caprio would be proud.
This is just gorgeous. Abstract and real at the same time and a great display of how monochrome works so well for photography. It’s a very successful image IMO.
Hey @Kerry_Gordon… amazing shot! As someone who has been obsessively shooting water textures for the past couple of years, this is a great study in a lot of the things that I love about it… the gentle flow, the aeration, the turbulence, the reflection of light , the motion, everything. I love the crop that @Youssef_Ismail did. Other than that I wouldn’t change a thing. Be proud of this one!
Kerry - Mission accomplished! Thanks for the perspective and good on you for taking that time and having the patience for letting the comp come to you. I agree with others re: crop. Love the flow and so many intricate moving parts. The visual mass of the wave is awesome! Strictly from a composition perspective - I was wondering what the comp would look like if the details of the wave extended from low right to top left. IMO - maybe something to consider?
Given where it’s coming from, that’s high praise indeed. And yes, I’m really beginning to discover just how powerful monochrome can be and how working in black and white seems to force me to get down to the essence of the image right from the point of composition.
Kerry,
Love, love, love this! I would be challenged to think of any improvements. Maybe, maybe, dodge, or selectively boost the brightness of the lighter reflection in the lower swell. Not sure how to explain it, and not sure it’s even worth it… this is an amazing image. Great work.
Lon
For me the image cropping is not what weakens the photograph. What weakens it is the format. Here is the original image reformatted to a 4x5 ratio. I like it much better that way.
By God, that does look good. They all look good.