The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I liked the abstract nature of this scene. The thin ice above the pebbles in this shallow pool along Lake Superior. The “fingers” of ice drew me in at first, but the suspended snowflakes above the rocks added a surreal element.
Specific Feedback
How does the overall composition feel? Is the balance between the “fingers of ice” and the rocks ok?
Technical Details
Canon EOS R5
1/8 Sec. @F 22
ISO 100 50mm
Global edits in LR
Whit POint, Black Point
Texture
Saturation adjustment.
Sharpened in Photoshop.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Vision and Purpose:
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Composition:
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Todd, it’s a fascinating scene. I’ve never seen fingers of ice like that.
Although I like the ingredients here, I have the sense that I’m looking at two different images. I have no suggestions to offer for dealing with that. I tried a few changes in Photoshop and nothing really worked.
Also a new scene to me – I usually see ice in a glass. Sometimes through whisky. So it catches my attention and is very interesting. I love both the textures in the ice and the snowflakes covering the rocks. I see what @Don_Peters is feeling about two different images, and maybe what emphasizes that is that the two elements are about 50-50 in the frame. If you have other compositions favoring one element more over the other, they could be interesting to compare. But the 50-50 composition emphasizes the difference, and that isn’t bad.
Really cool image, Todd. I love the clarity in both halves, and the snow flakes peppering the upper half. I’m not sure I would have noticed what the others said above, but I do think it’s true. Perhaps a crop off the top (to just below the biggest rock in the upper left quadrant) would render the remaining frame a little easier to read and explore. I like it as is as well, thought the upper left corner feels like something got de-emphasized in a way that still emphasizes it (something cloned out or darkened?)
Looking forward to seeing what other say here too,
ML
The icy fingers really caught my eye. Very cool! I like the color contrast between the blue-ish ice and the orange rocks. I also like the patterns in the larger ice mass to the right, though as more of a supporting feature. However, even before I read the other comments, I had the same overall thought as the others – that the rocks compete a bit instead of supporting the fingers as the main element. That said, I also like the contrast between the two halves and the polka dot pattern of the snow on the upper half. Maybe there is a crop that would work to make one part more dominant. Or maybe you could do a literal two-fer by presenting it as a vertical diptych?
Very nice. I like the contrast of the cool, blue ice with the warm toned rocks, as well as the difference in textures. The addition of the snow on the rocks ties the two parts together. I would have to agree that cropping a little off the top would help, perhaps to just below the larger rocks on top.
