The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Photographed from a zodiac in the icy waters of Antarctica," Frozen Wave" captures an iceberg sculpted by wind and sea into the shape of a cresting swell. The play of light on its luminous blue curves revealed nature’s artistry in its purest form. It was a moment of awe—silent except for the splash of water. Amazing experience in one of the planet’s most remote places.
Specific Feedback
composition , light, post processing , effect on the viewer
Welcome back, Veronica. We hope you will post more of your work and comment on the work of others.
This is a fine image. The composition works nicely to highlight the curving berg. I could see toning down some of the very bright highlights, especially on the right side berg.
Were you there on a tour, or part of a research group?
Welcome back, Veronica. Hope to see some more work from you and hope to see you participate in our critique sections. I’m sure we can all learn somethings from each other. This is a fine return. I like this image very much.
Great title. I personally like the processing with @Preston_Birdwell’s suggestion about the highlights. I would probably also try to draw out a little more detail in the BG. Not so much that it draws away from the FG but just enough that it’s not a complete silhouette. I don’t know how much you’re into image manipulation, but if you are I might consider removing a few of the BG elements.
First off, welcome back Veronica! I love the title as it perfectly describes that graceful curve in the FG iceberg. It does a better job of drawing the viewer into the scene. As much as I like the image as is I think the rework with those couple of tweaks by @Michael_Lowe made an already lovely image even better. I hope to see more of your work as well as your commenting on the work of other photographers. This is a great place to learn by posting and commenting.
Hi Veronica, welcome back. I love this image. Wow. Great catch and great composition too. Positioning the “wave” to the left of the frame works quite nicely. The suggestions already mentioned bring a great image up to the next level. Hope to see more of your work.
This had to have been an amazing experience, Veronica. Your composition is spot on and processing looks pretty good to me, although I do believe that Michael’s version is just a little better. I love how the “wave” looks like it was suddenly frozen while in motion. Just incredible!
Wonderful textures and blue colour shining from the rolling wave of an iceberg. Alas it is something i have never seen for myself. Just one or two very minor things. I wish it was just a fraction less tight on the sea at its base and just a hint more detail in the black land mass at the back though it does serve to separate the two ice chunks.
I find the composition a bit awkward because the wave is clearly the center of interest yet the white mass on the right is pulling us away from it. I don’t see any way to darken it enough to fix the issue. So the following crop would be how I would go. I don’t expect that you will take this suggestion as it’s not how you saw the scene. I do very much like the black glaciers in the back as they give you a sense of depth and make the wave more prominent.
Thank you for taking the time to review and share your opinion. I find your feedback very interesting. I had tried different crops myself, with the intention of making the image more engaging and drawing attention to the main focal point. In particular, I considered cropping it vertically to highlight only the ‘Frozen Wave.’ I agree that the crop you suggested is very similar, and I really like it.
Thank you, Ian! I agree that the bottom part of the sea feels a bit tight. Unfortunately, since I was shooting from a moving zodiac in choppy water, I didn’t have much room to compose differently. Still, I appreciate the suggestion—it’s something I’ll keep in mind next time.
