Water and Ice

[Theo]

[habakuk]

What a exciting contrast in the texture, the tactile quality of the elements. To me, this is a stunning shot and I would want to spend some time "refining" it (based on my likings...). I'd go for a bit cooler ice and snow and warm up the brown tones of the stream, just to put even more power into the contrast between the smooth, highly dynamic flow and the crystalized, cold, static ice mass.

I struggle to find the proper english words to describe the emotional impact this shot has on me. I get all sorts of stories and meanings, but it's difficult to find the english words in this case.

It seems to tell about the (warm) stream of hope in the middle of a cold environment where the energy of live has been frozen, has come to a halt. There is timelessness in the static area, and there is timelessness in the flowing part - but the quality of time they stand for is so utterly different. It seems to be a metaphor for a stuck state versus a stream of new possibilities. A metaphor for not giving up, not being brought down by the surrounding...

I really love this one. And that's why I'd spend some more time trying to crop it for more balance and work on the color a bit.

cheers
®

[eob]

I completely agree with Roland's assessment of the visual impact and his search for the metaphor of this image.

However, I can't get over what I consider a basic post-production deficiency. The color cast and the overall lack of definition can be extremely easy to deal with in Photoshop, using basic procedures (in this case, I simply tried to set the white point and the black point, as well as add some sharpening, and it made a huge difference).

Also, I think there is a bit too much going on in this version. I would crop off 1/2 inch from the left (to get rid of some background) and the top of the frame (for the balance).