The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
I like the colorful flow of the river across the frame and the fact, that it is surrounded by the black sand of a volcanic beach. I am curious about reactions to the color balance in this image as the colors were quite bright and saturated. I also had to deal with quite a bit of noise due to the small 1" sensor of the drone. I hope this does not show too much anymore
Creative direction
I would like this image to be more than just yet another image of Icelandic river braids…
Specific Feedback
happy for any feedback really
Technical Details
I shot this on my DJI Air3s with the 24mm wide angle lens at 1/120sec at f1.8 ISO 200
Description
This image shows an aerial view of a glacial river in Iceland, where volcanic sediment paints the water in flowing shades of blue, gold, and black. The intricate patterns reveal nature’s fleeting artistry, created by shifting currents and mineral-rich meltwater.
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Ronja: Just marvelous. As an avowed color junkie this works great for me as is. I’ve dreamed of flying my drone in Iceland and your shot is making me notch Iceland up on my bucket list. Most excellent. >=))>
the cool thing about abstracts is not being able to wrap my head around the scale. If you had not said it is a river, I never would have thought that. Wow! This is just great!
The color balance looks just fine to me, and you handled the noise very well for the Web posting. The saturation looks fine. If I had one minor nit it would be the collection of golden spots near center on the right side. They grab my eye. Other than that, this fabulous!
-P
Fantastic image. Color balance is spot on for me. Noise? No problem. Golden spots? Yes, they draw a bit of attention, but I like them. My initial thought was for some on left side to balance, but I like it as is. Wonderful!
Well THAT gives me something to shoot for, I think that’s exquisite Ronja. I love the loss of scale, and the beautiful colors are amazing. The way there is a bit of a “twisted rope” flow to the colors works really well.
This is absolutely amazing!! It feels 3D (probably from the way ti expands at the bottom and some tricky clues along the edges of the color, but I can’t figure out what is in the forefront and what is behind. (Apparently none of it!) We’ve all seen a lot of rivers similar to this, but this is the most unique one I can remember, by far!
Ronja, the colors in the river are quite striking. Even more striking is the darkness on the sides of the frame. The two combine to make a truly special photo. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Hi Ronja. My first reaction to this was “The Glaciers Are Coming” and about to engulf the whole hemisphere. Just wishful thinking there. The colors are wonderful and while it has the feel of a fluid, it comes across as something much more viscous than water to me, which I like a lot. Very well done.
Really beautiful and and well titled, Ronja. I had hoped to do some aerial photography when I was in Iceland in 2019, but the weather wouldn’t cooperate. Next time, I’ll take my drone.
I love the colors, the variations in the sediments, the almost linen-like textures. The gold spots didn’t strike me at first. I can see adding some to the left, but I’m not sure they would feel natural there. Of course, natural is not always the point in abstract photography.
One thing I always like to do with images like this is rotate and flip them to see if that makes a difference. In this case, I like the “flowing down hill” effect of having the wider part of the river at the bottom. However, if it were at the top, the ephemeral implications would perhaps be reinforced.
Nice work on this. I’m hoping you have others to share too. I’m looking forward to seeing more if you do.
thank you @Bill_Fach, I really appreciate it. flying the drone in Iceland is definitely a wonderful (and depending on the weather sometimes nerve-racking) experience
thank you for your kind comment, @Preston_Birdwell! I really appreciate it. thank you for pointing out the green specks of moss on the right, I might darken them down a notch…
Thank you @Jim_Gavin, @John_Williams, @Diane_Miller, @Mark_Seaver, @Don_Peters for your kind comments. I really appreciate them and am relived that the colors seem to be working as well as the flow of the river across the frame (I actually rotated the image) thanks so much for your input!
Thank you @Dennis_Plank, that’s a great title as well!! Yes unfortunately just wishful thinking. I have been to Iceland 10 years ago and was shocked to see how much the Glaciers have retreated in just those short 10 years!
thank you @Marylynne_Diggs for your kind comment! I really appreciate it! yes the weather can be really tricky to fly the drone there. I put my drones to the limits while flying in rain and strong winds. I was amazed however about how much they can handle - even the little mini! I might try and add some of the green specks also to the left and see how that looks. I really like rotating this kind of shots too. Actually I rotated this one as well
I think you achieved your goal of “not just another Icelandic river”, yours is more abstract than most and the colors and shape of the river is quite unique. The framing within the black sand is quite nice as well. The colors look good, and realistic (I was there about 10 years ago and took booked a 3-hour flight and captured similar scenes). I like this quite a lot!
