I was fortunate enough to make my acquaintance with several new glaciers in January, this time in Patagonia. As always, I was hypnotized by the colors and textures found deep within the ice, and I took several images along the way that attempt to express the beauty of these features. I’m sure many of the regulars here are sick of seeing my attempts to represent this beauty, but I can’t help it - I have no control over this affliction!
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Emotional: Feedback on the emotional impact and artistic value of the image.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
Hopefully, what I am attempting to do with this post is appropriate here. Rather than ask for feedback on each of the three images I’ve included in this post, I’m most interested in hearing which of the three images has the greatest emotional impact (and aesthetic appeal). While I’m happy to receive any specific feedback on any aspect of the three images, I’m primarily seeking advice on the curation of these images into a larger project of glacier imagery. While perhaps two or even all three have their place, which one of these is the most impactful? I really want to limit inclusion within this collection to the strongest of my work.
Technical Details
All are captured with a Sony A7R5 and a either a Sony f/4.5 100 - 400 mm lens or a Tamron f/2.8 17 -28 mm lens. All processed in LrC, PS (w/ TK8 tools), and Topaz Noise Reduction.
1: Crustallum Australis (2 image focus stack; ISO 400; 400 mm at f/11, 1/30 sec)
2: The Cycle Completes (single image; ISO 200, 400 mm at f/20, 1/80 sec, cropped from full image)
3: Glacial Canyoneering (5 image focus stack; ISO 100; 28 mm at f/20, 1/15 sec)
Hi Jeff,
I like all 3 images but the Glacial Canyoneering image is the standout for me. I like the blue curve at the bottom that leads me through the rest of the image, and the lines of ice all pointing to the center.
Nice work and looking forward to seeing your collection.
Add another vote for #3. And I’ll put them in reverse order 3, 2, and 1.
All are wonderful and most certainly tell a story of the ice. One thing of note, all of them lack scale, which isn’t a bad thing per se, but sometimes helpful in telling a story. #2, most closely does, and least has some location reference with the water at the bottom. Love the fascinating, abstract detaiils and color in #2 .
#1 is almost a mind bender given no reference to scale. Could be a huge ridge of ice, could be a macro. Not having seen anything close to this I can only speculate on color and I’d be willing to bet that you’ve represented pretty true. Amazingly blue!
And #3, “Canyoneering” gives me the thought, he, where’s the climber? the ice ladder… Again no scale reference, and again that’s fine as the graphics, lines and color carry the image just beautifully.
Beautifully captured - best of luck with your collection!
Hi Jeff, I think that all of these images are very nice but for me the one with the most impact and appeal is the first one. I love the highlight going through it, awesome texture and it just feels so mysterious to me. The second image is a close second for me but I think that it could maybe be a bit stronger if you cropped the open water at the bottom.
My order of preference is 1, 2, 3. I have a thing about dirty snow. I’m don’t take to it too well. The first image is interesting as a form and not necessarily for what it is. It’s just beautiful. I like the colors in number 2 but the composition is a bit weak.
Hey Jeff! Really strong set of photos here. I especially love photo number 3. The lines in that one are wonderful. Great job on these! I love the light in the second photo, but it makes me feel a bit claustrophobic with the directional flow moving towards the top left but not much room to escape up there. Other than that, I think these are awesome. Makes me feel… cold. Haha
Thanks you all, @Glenn_Tunaley, @Tom_Nevesely, @Lon_Overacker, @Igor_Doncov, @Matt_Payne, @David_Johnston for sharing your opinions. Seems like 1 and 3 are the people’s choices (@Igor_Doncov’s distaste for englacial sediments notwithstanding ). On first pass, image 1 stood out to me, but I have definitely grown more fond of image 3 and your positive feedback about it has helped me appreciate it more.
I also tend to feel that Image 2 is an “almost but not quite”. Despite the interesting colors and textures, the fact that the light in the scene is unbalanced to the upper left is a problem. This is actually a section from a small iceberg calved off a rather large glacier into a large lake (as is Image 1). Unfortunately, the left edge of the berg, and the features behind it, are an even greater distraction than is the unbalanced light.
Thanks again for indulging me in this exercise. My new website, with the gallery highlighting this project, is live but not quite ready for prime time. I’m definitely eager to hear critical feedback on the project when it is ready for sharing.
My vote is on the first one with its abstract feel of lines and structures. The colors and light are great. I also like a lot the third image, including the sediment situated at and emphasizing the ridges, but the sediment “dirt” in the FG is not really to my taste.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these, @Ola_Jovall. Would you feel differently about image 3 if the very bottom 10% or so were cropped (i.e. eliminating the part of the scene where the sediment bleeds off the bottom of the image?). I could see using the point of the sediment int he very bottom of the water channel as the bottom framing point, though doing so would lose the convergence of the sediments in the ice just to the right.
Keep these coming, Jeff. These are great! By far my favorite is number 3, Glacial Canyoneering. The composition and colors are amazing. Well done. My second favorite is number one and would be a contender for the best had it not been for the top of the image feeling like it was chopped off. I love the colors and the abstract nature of it and the light is really good. The middle image has some really true potential as an abstract. I played with a few crops and made a few adjustments. Just playing. I hope you don’t mind.
Thanks very much @David_Haynes for your feedback, and for taking a crack at different options in image 2. For me, the thing I like best about the image as originally presented is the full range of color and brightness variation from right to left. While isolating smaller sections of the scene help resolve the problem with balance, any individual section ny itself is less interesting to me than a few of my other glacial ice detail images. The first of your three suggestions best maintains that full range, but also still suffers from the left/right imbalance, I think.
It’s really fascinating how much I have learned about how to think about composition in this way since joining NPN. I almost chuckle at myself for trying to discuss the technical aspects of contrast and balance like I know what I’m talking about! Ha. Thanks to all of you for helping me to see in this way. I definitely see the improvements in my own photography as a result.
Hmm. I’m going to ponder this one for a while. Thanks for actually doing the edit, @Ola_Jovall. I’m definitely curious to hear what others who liked the original version of this scene feel about the edit.
I cropped the image and removed some (but not all) of the sediment along the bottom edge of the remaining scene. While the initial version with more sediment at the bottom didn’t really bother me, I do see the cropped version to have suffered no loss of impact while presenting a cleaner image overall. I think I’ll stick with it. Thanks, @Ola_Jovall, for the comment and inspiration.
Again no scale reference, and again that’s fine as the graphics, lines and color carry the image just beautifully.
). On first pass, image 1 stood out to me, but I have definitely grown more fond of image 3 and your positive feedback about it has helped me appreciate it more.
