I was fortunate to spend several weeks near Iqaluit, Nunavut in both 2002 and 2004, walking in the tundra among the glacial erratics. I’ve not been back but treasure both the memories and many of the photographs I made and brought home. The immense, really endless spaces, and the vibrant colors are still fixed in my mind and heart. These were made on a Minolta DiMAGE7i, my first exposure to digital.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
any and all
Technical Details
Minolta DiMAGE7i, 1/180, f/3.5, 45mm, ISO125 with minor adjustments to tone curves and sharpening in LR
John, your image shows the beauty the naked eye sometimes misses when looking at lichen. Just as your image shows, lichen can be mysterious and yet fascinating. Your image makes me imagine flying over a barren land. I really like the two snowy lines on the side of the main section with the intense lichen colors bound by the snow. Those lines serve as a delimiter to keep our attention on the center lichen formations. If I had edited this image, I would likely have done some burning on the LRC and LLC just to accentuate and give more depth to the center section of the image. That would be a suggestion I’d give if you’re so inclined to explore that option. I can see how you have fond memories of your trip. Having recently explored an area rich in lichen close to my home, this is truly a striking image.
That’s a rock I could come to love! Oh wow, the colors and patterns. So many different species (probably). Lichens are amazing colonizers and the first thing that makes new soil. I really like the framing V of snow here, although I wonder if a tighter crop would make that framing more vigorous. Looks like the whites are blown a little bit and it could be sharper overall, but what an amazing rock. Tundra is such a fragile ecosystem and lichen fields like this are an important part of why it works at all.
