Another of my favorites - looks like this week is bringing up everyone’s strongest or favorite images.
I took this in my last winter in NH and practically froze me toes off! Ice is one of the best things about winter - its permutations are practically limitless. One thing it lends itself to is long exposure - the contrast of liquid and frozen water always grabs me.
Specific Feedback Requested
Too weird?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Tripod and a polarizer +
Lr processed to exaggerate the tonal differences between the ice and the flowing brook underneath. Ps to remove a bit of something.
@Kris_Smith I don’t think anything can be too weird in photography! I’ve seen some things! I really like the shape of ice, I think you choose a solid subject with an abstract quality.
Compositionally you have an image of a shape, lines, and the Rule of 3 so you aren’t violating any composition principles. I also like where the drippy drippy icicles are positioned off centered in the frame.
Two suggestions I would try is that I feel this is more of a vertical shot, as the refrozen drips are long and move vertically. So instead of a square crop, I’d try a longer vertical one and then see what it looks like with lots of negative space. I think that would create the feel of the water droplets having a long ways to fall.
The other suggestion is using exposure compensation when on Aperture mode. With the extreme dynamic range and reflective subject, the camera can easily over expose the image removing the detail that could be in the upper portion of the ice. Basically you are exposing for the highlights and then you can bring the exposure down in post.
Otherwise I like the abstract choice of a subject!
Yup. That would work quite well. Problem lies with me. In the field I didn’t move the tripod up much from a flat perspective and because the near bank of ice was so far into the water itself, I wound up running out of water. I suppose I could add canvas in Photoshop…hmmm.
Kristen, good black and white image, I think your second (vertical) image is better than the square crop. I agree with Michael’s comment about the bright ice at the top of the frame. Have you tried a grad filter to bring down the whites slightly near the top of the frame. Perhaps consider cloning out the leaves(?) on top of the ice to remove any possible distractions from the sculptured ice.
Kris, nice Icicles. This shows the ice shapes often created by running water well. The vertical fits the shapes better. The reflections in the water are a nice subtle addition
Very cool (literally and figuratively). I do like the vertical version, as that aspect feels better with the verticality of the icicles. The little reflections are a nice touch.
