The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Another that’s been sitting on the hard drive since December. These kinds of ice formations are so intriguing and changeable. They can form, shift and break up quickly. I shot a series of one in another river as it morphed and finally disappeared altogether. This one persisted and when I went back to the photo a couple months later, it struck me as a bit of an optical illusion. The rock and its icy passenger almost seem to be moving into the water rather than the water moving around them. Maybe I’m nuts.
Specific Feedback
Anyway…this is a straight up b&w conversion with a little tweaking in the B&W panel to adjust the strength of the underlying colors. How’s that look? Also the composition and processing. I didn’t want it to be too harsh, but still have some vitality and energy.
Technical Details
Tripod + CPL or possibly a 2-stoppish ND as well. Can’t remember exactly.
Lr for global adjustments to optimize contrast, a mask or two for more targeted tweaks. Added quite a bit with the texture and clarity sliders and hit it with a bit of dehaze as well. Cropped to 16:9.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Kris: I won’t comment on your state of mind but this is fine. The water action is just the right contrast to the solidity of the rock and the processing looks pretty darn good to my eye.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this in regard to any of your posts but the direction of flow from right to left messes a little with my mind. (Now who’s nuts?) If you flip this it is much more comfortable for me to look at but may be at cross purposes to your vision. Perhaps you were seeking the tension? Regardless of orientation I think this is well conceived and expertly presented. >=))>
She did it again!! This little mini-landscape is SO cool! The water flow has a bit of texture to add to the energy and the shadows are beyond perfect! And that piece of ice – is it trying to decide whether to brave that torrent? Dip a toe in to test it??
Interesting comparison by @Bill_Fach but for me the original works better. Maybe it’s some sort of anti-tension, or maybe I shouldn’t have had that second cup of coffee this morning. (Yes, I should have…) The shadow lines flow L to R and up to the ice, and even though that’s against the current, it feels right to me. But my sanity is always questionable.
Very cool image…no pun intended. The ice is perfectly exposed and contrasts well with the rock and darker areas of the flow. As for Bill’s thought, I like the R to L flow. To me it feels like looking upstream or downstream. I prefer upstream. I’m not familiar with your camera. I’m curious now. I love reading about gear
Kristen, a wonderful image and the black and white works so well with all the textures in the water and the ice. I am biased but I feel textured images work so much better in black and white. The flow from left to right works very well as I feel like I am flowing “down” river and up and over a rapid. The bw edit is very well done with great tones. One very small suggestion (context I am extremely picky with my own images as a result with others) is edges. I find the touch of black/dark grays on the top to be slightly distracting. I would brush that area and lift them up to have less contrast. This is just one person’s very fussy suggestion.
It took me a moment to see the ice as a “passenger,” but thankfully I see it and it makes this even more special. It quite literally looks like a little creature “hanging on for dear life.” Even if that creature is a crustacean or an amoeba.
Now I’m thrown and torn by the right-to-left, left-to-right orientation. I can see how Bill or others might like the flipped orientation. I’m a left to right kinda guy and I think I prefer your original orientation; the open area on the left allows my eye to flow that direction and land with the rock and clinging creature. At least for me, having it reversed, my eye certainly goes directly to the ice cap creature, but then I’m blocked from going further (not much to explore other than texture and some flow…)
Processing and b&w application is top notch. So glad you pulled this one from the archives!
Anyway…Bill, I had a feeling the orientation would be noted and that someone might give it a flip since I thought about doing that originally and I think they both work.
Bruce - the flow is coming from the right in the original, but it can be disorienting looking in a weird direction. The camera is a Lumix G9 M2 which is a M4/3 mirrorless and I love it. Having used the original G9 for 5 years (and I still use it when I’m in the kayak and need two bodies, and for my jewelry photography), I am pleased with the updates in this although I prefer some of the ergonomics of the original.
Diane - I’ve only ever gotten in this river on one outing and the current is surprisingly strong even when you’re only in up to your knees. I can only imagine the torrent needed to create a lot of these formations. They are so fascinating.
Lee - I wondered if I’d lifted that bit at the top enough. The change in the shading is what made me crop where I did, too. Maybe I’ll go and have another pass at it.
John - sometimes my brain turns up funny relationships in nature since I now have come to view it as one very large functioning organism. The orientation is a fun thing to play with in terms of reaction and reminders and where our eyes go. I like this one for the heroic swimming upstream aspect that my fancy turns to.
Also glad the B&W conversion seems to be on target. I don’t do them all that often and so sometimes have to wonder.
More ice coming if you can stand it. Not many, maybe just one.
This is really cool. That little ice cap on the small rock “mountain peak” surrounded by the swirling clouds down below. That’s what I see anyway. I think @Bill_Fach brain is wired similar to mine with the 180 flip.
Hi Kris,
This intimate landscape is totally amazing; I love this. The dynamic motion of the water adds some nice visual tension to the scene with the small ice cap sitting precariously on the rock. Ordinarily I like things to flow left to right, but in this instance I prefer the right to left flow of Kris’s version. I for one am glad you decided to let this one see the light of day. Did you happen to capture any images with a shorter exposure as I think they would be interesting as well. Anyway this is beautifully done.
Thanks @Michael_Lowe & brother @Ed_Lowe - I love the different perspectives and reactions to the L-R/R-L conundrum. Seems both work, but for different brains. Unfortunately, I didn’t mess with the shutter speed for this one.
I’m late to the party here Kris, but agree whole heartedly with the above praise. Great choices in making this black and white and letting the panorama format emphasize the flow. The ice is a real centerpiece, and I love the way it and the rock are well-defined while the rest of the image is so soft in contrast.
Thanks @John_Williams - that contrast you mention knocks me out, too. Whenever I do flowing water shots, I try to emphasize texture differences by varying the shutter speed. In this case, to make the rock & ice really stand out against the water. When there is mostly soft snow surrounding a stream, I go the other way with shorter shutter speeds to increase the detail in the water so it stands out against the smooth snow. This is something I hadn’t thought of when I first started doing this kind of work back in the early 2000s and I think it works for me. Ditto with changing the aspect ratio of the final images, another thing I didn’t do much when I first started with digital.
I have never commented on any images on the NPN platform before. I’ve been a lurker and a looker. This image stopped me in my tracks. It is striking in black and white and does give a real sense of energy and dynamism, and a sense of jeopardy as that ice clings like a ghostly hand to the rock. I love the range of tonal values and the contrast in stillness and movement. As a photographer of water and rocks in rivers and oceans, the direction of flow or orientation is a wonderfully open and creative choice for you to make. I like your choice here very much. Love this image, it tells such a rich story.
Well consider me flattered and honored, @Chris_Grieve - I so appreciate you breaking the fourth wall so to speak. That bit of ice does seem to be in jeopardy and I particularly like the poetry in the ghostly hand image. Orientation is fun to play with and giving my photo a flip is something someone did with my very first image posted here on NPN. If you’re feeling up to it I’d love to see your rocks and water photos. It’s my absolute weakness when it comes to nature photography. You can post here in critique if you want or over in New Member images. Even in the Photo Share chat group you can find by hitting the speech bubble up top. And thanks again for your kind words and taking time out of your day.
but this is fine. The water action is just the right contrast to the solidity of the rock and the processing looks pretty darn good to my eye.
