Ice Structure

[Anette Mossbacher]

Found some great ice structure or sculptures in the Arctic. With the never ending sunrise / sunset it was a bliss to float around the ice patches, structures, sculptures ...etc. All in the zodiac have been quiet, just listening to the sound of freedom. magic :S3:

Anyway, this is a normal vertical which I cropped to a square, since that worked best for me. The vertical you just need to add more sky. Horizontal was a no go!
LR5, white balance as far I managed, all my adjustments, which means I use nearly all what LR offers me to a certain way. Depends of course of every single image.
Finalized it in PS, checked again WB, dodge/burn for a few spots, Mid Tone, Levels. That's it Sharpened in PS CS6
HH from drifting zodiac, had to stand up to get it that way and again asking the guide to go in a certain spot! :e3

1DX
f/6.3 1/1600 ISO 3200 :eek3: hey that black machine did very well with ISO 3200!
70-200mm L IS II set at 145mm

C&C very welcome and highly appreciate it :bg3:

[Diane Miller]

Very dramatic! I love the white clouds!!

[Don Nelson]

Very nice!
If it were mine, I would get rid to the bright spot in the clouds at the upper left corner -- it draws the eye away from the central point in the image.
Sharpening is well done here - no sharpening artifacts around the ice/bright clouds. Ice has a real feel for the fracturing on the surface - assisted by the light coming through the central column.
I like this one!

[Don Nelson]

perhaps something like this...but you can do the change to your taste. I am ambivalent about the remaining opening in the sky -- try it with and without and see what you think.
133728

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Anette, love the contrasting colors here...the blue is just beautiful. Wonder what it might look like with a little of Nik's Detail Extractor applied to the ice. Love it!!!

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Very beautiful image both real and ethereal and fantasy like. Extremely peaceful, lucky you.

I love your treatment but also think the suggestion of a slight detail extraction on the ice might be a really neat effect to really showcase the ice structures.

I'm in love with ice and have a million icicle photos, all un processed but now with better software I have been finding some incredible hidden artifacts within the ice, it's like finding images in the clouds.

The BG colors are awesome and I do like the bit of white cloud.

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Diane, Don, Andrew & Linz,

thank you very much for your input.

Don, I turned down the white clouds a tad with a Lumo. WDYT?

Andrew, I have added a round USM to the ice. WDYT? I am not a fan of NIK extractor, that does it not for me anymore!

Thanks you very much again for your time and comments

Enjoy your weekend

Ciao
Anette

[LinzRiverBalmer]

huge difference, great RP

the ice looks even more amazing, good to know simple unsharp mask can bring out that detail.

[Anette Mossbacher]

Thanks Linz,

but the USM is not set as you might think! It is set for bringing out more details!
A good site to learn lots and find answers, dig in this one. : http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/forumdisplay.php/11-Digital-Photography-Workflow

[Morkel Erasmus]

Love the shape, colours and light here Anette.
Good handling of high ISO, but it does look like there's some grain/noise apparent in the ice structure - did you have to ligthen it much in post?

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Morkel,

I did not lighten to much the ice, graduate filter for the Shadows. Luminance set to 6 for the sky. After that did not run any Noise reduction on the image at all. Should apply a that on the ice, sky is fine.
Will do that just now. Thanks so much :bg3:

Have a great evening

Ciao
Anette

[Cheryl Slechta]

Annette, this makes a lovely abstract - it reminds me of huge whale rising from the ice. I like the detail in Pane #7.:S3:

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Anette, love the repost with the additional detail you pulled out of the ice...nice work...and a touch of noise reduction on the ice will do the trick :S3:

[Diane Miller]

That made a dramatic difference on the ice, and the complementary colors are wonderful!

[Steve Kaluski]

Oh very 'artie' Anette, like it, nice contrasting colours. You did vey well to achieve what you did, not the most easiest of locations to shoot, told you you would like the camera. :cheers: Looks like last week was a very profitable week in more ways than one, trust the 'arc' wasn't neglected. :bg3:

BTW MKIV gone now, only 1Dx's :Whoa!:

Look forward to more soon I trust.

TFS
Steve :wave:

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Steve,

glad that you like the 'artie' image :bg3:
The 'arc' is ding fine and for sure he knows how to drag me outside.
Right now he has no desire, nor me, rain...rain...rain...

Congrats on your second 1Dx or third!, envy you.... a bit :eek3:

Have a great day/eve

Ciao
Anette :wave: