Black & Gold

Golden sweet abstraction, Kane. Well seen, captured, and processed.

Great combination of light and texture. The snow adds a lot to the scene. I like this for its uniqueness and I like the warmer white balance for this image. Great work!!

Wonderful abstract Kane!

That is simply one of the most gorgeous and different ice abstracts I have seen in a very very long time. I love it I can imagine that big on a wall. Totally stunning beautifully composed. Just one tiny wee thing two of the corners of the image are light which I think works very well but two are dark and I think I would be tempted to lighten the two dark corners just a little to define them better. Just fabulous though.

Gorgeous! Just beautiful, original shot. The mix of golden tones makes me think of a dune abstract. The bomb

Unique and beautiful. The reflected light is wonderful and the pattern of ripples a very strong attraction. Excellent abstract.

Stunning image Kane and one of the best abstracts I've seen for awhile. The warm reflection with the dark ice is wonderful. Super job on this.

Let me add my vote of admiration. Gold and cold.

Beautifully composed Kane... love the colors that are so surreal but natural (if that makes sense)

Like one of Ian's recent images this has a boring thumbnail, yet is a true joy when one finally gets to the Larger Photo.

I'm really digging the various textures and colors here. In particular, I love how the warm light reflects off the ice.

This is simply awesome. Well seen and executed. Well done

I'm loving these shots... This reminds me of a mini sand dune type shot after a recent snow (ice dunes, I guess you could call them). Great comp, nice light, and good, natural processing. The large version is a treat!

This is very special with the pockets of snow and the reflected color. Well seen and presented.

Kane,

I'm going to dissent here, largely because I know you and in the past you've asked me to be harsh. I think this is a terrific subject and the contrast of the black, white, and yellow is a great start. I'm just left wishing for a better design or composition. On top of that, I'm not seeing too much three-dimensionality; the image seems a little flat (not in the sense of contrast and "pop", but in the sense of lack of depth). I'm seeing mostly horizontal lines in the current composition. I'd love to see some lines (or even better, curves) leading into the frame. I don't know if that's possible with the physical setup of the amphitheater around Dream Lake. I'm guessing that this was a sunrise shot; if you returned at another time of day, could you get the right shadows and reflections to have the ice waves oriented differently?

It is a very cool photograph. I don't think it quite lives up to some of your others.

Cheers,
Mark.

Wonderful abstract Kane! This will make a beautiful print!

I'm always willing to give a dissenting viewpoint a hearing, but any image can be dissected in minute detail down to an almost microscopic level in searching for what could be better (perhaps the reason that Marc A. parted ways with this forum).
Looking at this holistically, I think that it's a very successful abstract image. As Mark stated, 'It is a very cool photograph.' and I certainly agree with that observation. Well seen, captured and 'developed', Kane!

One of the best abstracts I've seen in a while Kane. Excellent contrast, light, and mysterious as you said since when you first see it you wonder what it is. Everyone has an opinion how it affects them. This has a lot of visual impact for me.

A lot of excellent feedback, and for that Thanks. Mark, I certainly appreciate you looking at this one with a critical eye and I especially like that you have pinpointed the element of ice photography I struggle with...comp. I use Dream Lake every January to sharpen up my composition skills heading into spring. Shooting ice requires a lot of patience and making myself do the two hour trip up there three consecutive weeks usually level sets my expectations for keeping composition my number one focus as a growing artist.

Post processing these ice shots are not very challenging but composing ice I find very difficult. As many on this forum know, just shooting random "neat" ice features won't take you far. Its actually getting some ice lines to make sense to the eye.

This interesting patch of ice existed last winter only in my four seasons of frequenting the lake in January. It wasn't much of a scene, I remember it being the size of maybe a breakfast table. The combo of semi bubble-less ice (black,) horizontal lines and pockets of snow stood out among a sea of other kinds of less photogenic ice. When the morning light hit, I basically new I had to make the comp work somehow.

What really makes this ice special to my eye is the slightly textured surface sheen present throughout the scene. This textured surface made for a metallic look with the rich morning light. Dream is famous for its polished ice, meaning you spend most of your time shooting fractures and bubbles under the surface. This morning I showed up and the ice had a weird textured surface sheen throughout the lake. I was pretty pissed off when I first noticed this phenomenon, because that surface sheen makes it difficult to shoot features under the ice. My day would be spent rubbing that sheen off with a towel. But this one, I used it to make that metallic look. I suppose that's what I'm most proud of with this one; I made something beautiful that day in less than ideal conditions.

Almost like black satin, Kane. A gorgeous abstract from up there. I like the texture to the surface, the gold color, and the rich feel to it.

Hi Kane - I do think this is a successful composition and the image certainly caught my eye. I like the repeating elements of the snow and ice pockets, with the colorful reflected light adding a third element of interest for me. I think this is a worthy addition to your collection of Dream Lake ice photos and adds some good diversity to your portfolio. Also, if you have not been up to Mills Lake, I would highly recommend it. In good years, the ice is just as good as Dream Lake.

The golden reflection on the ice's surface gives the ice a very pleasing patina. That's what I like most. If I had to search for a nit, maybe darken the gold reflection in the extreme upper right.

What a wonderful abstract Kane. The composition is fantastic.
Bob

The thumbnail and title had me scratching me head. When I opened it I couldn't decide at first but when I opened the larger version I was sold. The light angle makes all the difference. Congratulations on a wonderful, unique image!

A first class intimate. Interesting, ambiguous and great aesthetic appeal.

This is good stuff!

DANG dreamy! Congrats.

Really nice abstract, Kane. I love seeing cold subjects mixed with warm colors.

Very unusual and beautiful, matching the "Dream Lake" name. Very nice job.

I love it! Just a clean, simple "story" that this photograph tells and it's mesmerizing...

Tim!