Icefall Study

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 26, 2011150 views9 comments

I'll thank everyone up front for stopping to take a look at this image since I imagine it will not garner much traffic at all. Without dramatic light, graphic simplicity, or exciting colors I'm relying on the viewer's willingness to push deeper into this subject matter that I have worked again and again (the larger version is useful).

In the last five months I've only photographed an outdoor location other than the Mendenhall Glacier one time (with no satisfying results). There are only three photos in my NPN gallery that are not in some way glacier related. Last night I trekked high up onto the glacier with my photo gear but returned fulfilled without ever getting my camera out of its bag. Am I overdoing it? Probably. I'm I getting tired of it? Not even close.

Thanks again.

Comments

9 comments

Comment posted by Justin Peterson on March 26, 2011 at 10:04 AM

Ice and snow always grab my attention, even without dramatic light. I appreciate your candidness about just enjoying being out in an area you know so well, and not having to take a jaw-dropping image to feel fulfilled. As long as you are happy, that's all that matters, right?

Registered on January 20, 2008, 33 Posts, 298 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on March 26, 2011 at 2:17 PM

I love the dark strips at the bottom of the image, almost as though someone went out there with a paint bucket and sloshed paint all over the place. When you keep working the same subject for as long as you have you really start to see things others would miss. I bet seeing a collection of all your glacier work together would be fascinating - a book project, perhaps?

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on March 26, 2011 at 2:37 PM

You've captured a nice variety of elements here, and I agree that it takes a bit of visual exploration to really "discover" this scene. It's a great abstract image.

Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on March 26, 2011 at 3:43 PM

Over doing it, not at all. As long as you are passionate, and engaged by the subject, your images will never be tiresome. I like the intricacies of the scene, as well as the color contrasts created by the stains.

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Vance Gese on March 26, 2011 at 4:31 PM

Kent, your gift as an artist really is in evidence with this image as you have isolated a composition out of what many would pass by and have presented a phenomenal abstract of form and color. Fantastic. I certainly do not think you are overdoing it with regard to your glacier images; they are all incredible.

Registered on November 13, 2008, 298 Posts, 6629 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on March 26, 2011 at 6:20 PM

I always love these abstracts, Kent. This feels a bit under-exposed, but I love the variety of textures and shapes.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Kent Mearig on March 26, 2011 at 7:30 PM

Tony - I think I've thought about as hard as one can about your comment on exposure given just a few minutes to do so. I wasn't expecting to hear anyone say they thought this should be brighter. In fact, I had planned a response to objections that it might be too bright. Middle tone is actually only in the 9th percentile of total pixels, so the photo is generally high-key, but there is definitely nothing approaching a pure highlight, and perhaps that is what you're missing. Part of my decision not to set a white point was based on how much brighter (way way brighter) the areas nearby that were receiving morning sunlight were compared to this area. Based on any other input, I'll definitely think about adding a bit more brightness here though.

Registered on September 4, 2006, 237 Posts, 4748 Comments

Comment posted by Anil Rao on March 27, 2011 at 1:08 AM

I love photographs that challenge me to dig deeper. The reward for doing so more than makes up for the effort. This is one such photograph. As I study this picture, I find myself not only in awe of the ice formations themselves but in wonderment of the connection which must exist between the photographer and his environment.

Look forward to seeing more of your work.

Registered on November 15, 2003, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on March 27, 2011 at 11:37 AM

Ice is nice, and will suffice! I have always enjoyed your glacier images, Kent, and this one is no exception. There is a lot to absorb here and I keep seeing more details. Like Floris said, the black streaks work really wel,l and to me they add to the interesting geometry. Are you overdoing it? Not to me, you're not.

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments