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Icicles, Little Susitna
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Icicles, Little Susitna

by Vance Gese

Gallery: LandscapePosted November 8, 20161,427 views15 comments

Icicles hang from a fallen spruce tree over a maelstrom of flowing, cold water along the Little Susitna River of Alaska one chilly autumn evening several years ago.  Using my longest lens on the 4x5 and the careful use of some back tilt, I was able to isolate these icicles from across the river without getting too wet.  Would appreciate any and all comments and suggestions on this image.

4x5, 600mm, no filters, Velvia.  M1 flat bed scan, Tony Kuyper's masks and such.  (For those interested, the 600mm is the telephoto design one that Nikon used to produce.  One heavy chunk of glass but only requires 19inches of bellows draw rather than 23inches).

 

Large size image posted as well.

 

Thanks.

 

Comments

15 comments
Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on November 8, 2016 at 3:47 PM
This is beautiful and though I haven't had the chance to try to take a similar image too many times in the past, I know it can be challenging. I love the clump of icicles, interesting in their own right, but they point to the wonderful patterns in the water. Shutter speed is perfect for my taste. Looks really cold---I like the amount of blue. Really gorgeous.
Registered on November 11, 2011, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments
Comment posted by Igor Hoveijn on November 8, 2016 at 3:56 PM
Usually I am not a fan of milky water, but here it contrasts nicely with the well defined icicles. The latter are interesting enough for a tight crop. But I like this composition very much. The streamlines of the water give a nice flow through the frame. The slightly blue cast conveys the cold and goes well with the red-brown colour of the log. Like it.
Registered on November 2, 2015, 18 Posts, 192 Comments
Comment posted by Norma Tareila Matl on November 8, 2016 at 5:04 PM
Wow! Amazing and hard work using a 4x5 camers. Never could get those swings and tilts so isolating the icicles is very impressive. The soft feel from the front water flow makes this pop out. Thank you for sharing this chilly scene. Only thing for me is the dark black shadows in the upper right corner. 
Registered on October 27, 2016, 229 Posts, 393 Comments
Comment posted by Rick Turner on November 8, 2016 at 5:37 PM
A capture very unique and well processed.
Registered on February 18, 2012, 534 Posts, 2755 Comments
Comment posted by Harley Goldman on November 8, 2016 at 5:45 PM
Real sweet, Vance. The blues work really well in this image. Very well done. 
Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on November 9, 2016 at 9:46 AM
Vance, the sharp look at the icicles and how they contrast with the flow in the water is great.  As others have said the eye movement through this is great and the ss on the water perfect.  I really like how the icicles sparkle in the larger view.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Nick Bristol on November 9, 2016 at 10:44 AM
Vance, This is very nice!. I agree with Mark that the contrast between the sharpness of icicles and the water motion works great here. The cool blue tones look perfect for this as well. Large size is especially nice.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI.
Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments
Comment posted by Ed Williams on November 9, 2016 at 11:22 PM
This has so many nice pieces to it Vance. Nice flow of the water against the very sharp icicles, wonderful blue colors, interesting overall composition. Feels like we are right in the middle of it all.
Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments
Comment posted by David Schoen on November 10, 2016 at 12:11 PM
A beautiful image for sure.  Really nice composition and fascinating color scheme.  I don't feel qualified to comment on the technical aspects of this.   It sure is nice to look at.
Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments
Comment posted by Genny K. on November 11, 2016 at 12:53 AM
That is lovely!  Excellent job on this!  I have tried to do something similar to this, and it is tough to get it right. I have never gotten mine to be anywhere close to this.  Getting the icicles in focus and still getting the right look to the water is very, very difficult, at least for me!  Those little icicles are fascinating little things!!  Bravo!  devildevil
Registered on June 5, 2006, 132 Posts, 2001 Comments
Comment posted by Michael Lowe on November 11, 2016 at 11:09 AM
What makes this image special is the contrast between the curving patterns in the water and the straight angular lines of the icicles. 
Registered on February 11, 2004, 777 Posts, 5252 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Jones on November 11, 2016 at 11:34 AM
Wow, that's impressive work with big equipment!  Your shutter speed is perfect for my taste, providing a nice contrast between the sharp icyles and the water, but still retaining enough detail in the water to avoid that artificial "milkshake" look.  Exposure, processing, tones and cool color are all superb.
Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments
Comment posted by John Williams on November 15, 2016 at 9:59 PM
Masterful Vance. Just a treat with those two elements of ice and water motion mixed. I just upgraded the software on my monitor calibrator, but on my view it's a little dark overall.
Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments
Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on November 17, 2016 at 2:48 AM
Love these combinations of icicles and flowing water scenes. Colour balance is just cool enough without being over the top. Great find.
Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments
Comment posted by Lucy Aron on December 21, 2016 at 10:34 PM
Lovely contrasts of soft and hard-edged lines as well as contrasting directions of the lines.
Registered on February 25, 2011, 189 Posts, 1160 Comments