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Wall of Icicles
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Wall of Icicles

by Barbara Graham

Gallery: LandscapePosted November 26, 20171,601 views4 comments
Just below Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains there was ice along about a 40-yard stretch of rock wall.  The road is narrow, but with places to pull over, and parents and kids were running across the road in between very slowly moving traffic and playing with snowballs in the snow at the bottom, taking selfies, etc.  I think everybody was having a lot of fun.  This is just a very small section of the rock wall with icicles on it.

11/21/2017, 1:17:34 PM
Canon EOS 7D Mark II EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM +1.4x III @140mm
f/8, 1/320, ISO 800
Aperture priority, Evaluative metering
Imported into LR, processed in Adobe Camera Raw and CC PS 2018, full frame.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

Comments

4 comments
Comment posted by Harley Goldman on November 26, 2017 at 8:32 AM
This is a well done ice abstract. Processing looks good to me, as does the comp. I also see crop possibilities to pull other images out of the scene. Nice work. 
Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Teller on November 26, 2017 at 12:49 PM
This is an interesting subject, but my eye wanders around the image trying to find a center of focus. I tend to be drawn to the brown open spot.
Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on November 26, 2017 at 2:28 PM
Beautifully seen and capture Barbara!  The large view is awesome!  Given your description of the wall, you did a great job in isolating and selecting this section of ice.

I think your processing is excellent here. I do like the hints of blue throughout and the metallic look of the silvery-blue rock faces really adds a nice element to the overall image.

I agree with Harley that there are many possibilities to further isolate with some crops, but I'm loving this as presented. I especially like the inclusion of the lichens on the wall; they provide a little bit of context and story telling. The more I look at the large view, the more impressive this becomes.  Well done!

The only small suggestion I have is the longer icicle in the LRC.  There's a bright streak that isn't holding much detail.  If you use TK's Light's Triple Play you could selectively reduce the brightness, if you chose to.  Otherwise, this a great image.

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on November 26, 2017 at 4:25 PM
The translucent feel to those icicles is wonderful. Always challenging to decide on a comp with all of the options you had. Like what you've done here. 
Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments