My wife and I spent the entire month of August alone together paddling the rivers flowing through the boreal forest of Northeastern Manitoba. I came back with 7500 images so culling through them has been somewhat overwhelming. I took some grand landscapes but concentrated much more on intimate landscapes that included forest as well as more abstract images of rock, lichen, grasses and textures. This image is the first of a very special series that I’d planned, inspired by reading the biography of Leonardo DaVinci as we paddled along. Leonardo understood that reality was an unfolding phenomenon. For that reason, he intuited that to imbue a painting with life meant finding a way to translate the motion we naturally experience in three-dimensional reality to the static frame of two dimensions. Everything he did in his paintings was an exploration of that attempt. That is the reason he became almost obsessed by hydrodynamics – the chaotic fluidity of water in motion. This image is intended as the first of a series of between 12 and 15 images taken on our trip and inspired by his explorations and understanding of hydrodynamics. I’m sure he would have loved the possibilities that photography opens up for taking this exploration in some surprising and different directions.
I originally intended that this image and the whole series be monochrome. And they really do work well that way. But then I began experimenting with Tony Kuyper’s “Make-It-Glow” function in the TK7 panel and decided to explore color. Besides the Make-It-Glow, I did very little to the image – a touch of mid-tone contrast, some dodging and burning and a touch of clarity around the foam and that’s about it. I would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have on this image -both in terms of composition and post processing technique. Most importantly, is the motion conveyed in a way that gives the image life?
EXIF: Fuji Xt2 – Fujinon 55-200 mm/110 mm, ISO 200, f/16, 1/8 sec.
Kerry,
This a remarkable photograph. It conveys motion, depth, shape, a sense of immediacy, variations in light, and with all that looks like sculpted water. The only thing this photo needs is to be printed big. Definitely looking forward to seeing more of this series.
I love the motion of the waves and their dynamic. Wonderful abstract image Kerry.
Kerry, this is a beauty, with it’s mix of abstraction and real movement. The various arcs of water do an outstanding job of showing motion.
Kerry: Even the thumbnail spiked my 
-meter. Dynamic indeed and a fabulous result. 
>=))>
Kerry, this one has be on somebody’s wall…hopefully yours!! Beautiful work and I agree "dynamic " fits this so well!
Thanks so much, Youssef. I do plan to print it. I hope 22x17 is big enough 
Hey Eva and Mark, thanks for your very positive feedback. I am increasingly intrigued by more abstract imagery so I’m happy to hear that you feel this one is moving in that direction.
Thanks so much, Bill, for your enthusiastic support.
Thanks Alan. I’m looking forward to having this one and the entire series printed and up on somebody’s wall.
I love this photo. That wave has the perfect shape and counterbalanced by the rest of the water flowing in what looks opposite directions. Superb.
Fantastic curves and you’ve definitely captured a sense of motion. I’m looking forward to seeing the other images in the series. I enjoyed mind surfing this wave
Fascinating explanation and gorgeous photo!
Yes, a resounding yes it works. The inner part of the wave, the foam or whatever it’s called looks so buoyant, like cork. It is motion in 2D. Excellent, Kerry. Can’t wait to see the rest.
This is an awesome image. I love it! Processing looks great to me. It’s more important that it expresses what you want to communicate. The only tiny composition thing I notice is that I’d like to see the left side where the wave finishes. I held my hand over the left edge to simulate a crop, and cropping off to just get rid of the dark spot in the wave stopped me from wanting to look further left. Seems just a little more abstract and a more peaceful transition to the edge IMO. Looking forward to seeing more of them. Sounds like an great time.
Thanks Richard. Once I found the composition and speed I wanted, I took about 30 shots since each one will be slightly different. I chose this one largely because the curve of the wave was so perfect.
Nathan, Cathy and Gary - thank so much for your very positive feedback, always nice to hear.
Thanks Bradley. For me, part of the struggle composing this image, consistent with the continuous unfolding of the wave itself, is that there is no point where I can say, “that’s where it ends.” I feel that cropping from the left would leave the image feeling cut off without a sense of resolution. My choice was to leave a hint of something else emerging. I feel like it adds a bit of tension, which, to my mind, is consistent with the dynamic nature of the wave itself. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it
There’s always a reason for everything. It warms my heart that you know exactly what you want from your images.
I tends towards balanced harmony with my images. Life provides enough tension of its own 
. I like images I can sit back and relax with . Your image certainly fits that description. Can’t wait to see more of them.
Nice. I always try to shoot multiples as well since the slightest ms can make a huge difference in the quality of a photo.