Helen Hunts Ice

On my way back from WY, i stopped at N Cheyenne Canyon for some ice photos. Would appreciate any feedback! The snow free conditions are actually pretty good for some photos right now.
#1, i boosted the sat quite a bit here, since i wanted the color contasts from ice and creek to stand out. Does it work for you?

2) simpler look at Silver Cascade.

3) I tried a bunch of exposures for the falls looking down.

4) Here's another one--slightly faster--better??

5) This is probably my favorite comp, cause its weird, but i didnt focus bracket here so its getting a bit soft in the top and bottom corner--does this spoil it??
Thanks for all the input!

Very Nice Ice!

Like 'em all a lot with my fav being the first....EXCEPT....if you could tone down the brightness in the LLC to see if you can pull more detail out of it.

Nice shots and a "cool" subject Stan. Out of this group, I personally tend to like the water lines and striations in #3 the most. Did you try any longer shutter speeds to soften the water even more? I would be curious to see the contrast between the clear and sharp ice with softer and more blurred water lines of a longer exposure, but that's probably not the effect you were going for here.

Thanks, keep it coming! Yeah, Jared, i have plenty of longer exposures, just didnt look as interesting to me--maybe ill go back and process a few.
Pam--i can do that, i have shorter exposures to work with, although the white border isnt helping any here...

#5 is definitely my favorite. I didn't notice the soft focus in the corners until you mentioned it. My eyes are drawn to the middle where the water dives below the ice. If the corners were too sharp, the eye wouldn't be drawn so well. I, for one, think we often get carried away with blending and infinitely deep depth of field. It is a cool thing to be able to do, but it isn't always appropriate. And I think this is one of those times where your soft corners are a good thing.

I think I like #1 best, but would like it more if the magenta color in the center-right to lower-right was pushed a little more towards a warmer red, like that of the Pikes Peak granite just above it. I like the colors of #2, but don't care for the shallow depth of focus. The others just seem to lack a cohesiveness to my eye. Sometimes chaos can work (as opposed to K.A.O.S.), but would you believe that here it doesn't work for me? Well, then, would you believe that right now there are 100 Control agents ready to storm through that door and take you into custody?

No, of course not, i work for the feds--so if they knew i was online or said the word 'wiki-leaks' (there--i said it! ) i might mysteriously dissapear and never be heard from again...

#1 is my favorite too. I completely agree with what both Pam and Todd have said. I would add that #1 perhaps needs a little noise reduction especially for the shadow areas and reds.

The OOF bottom of #5 honestly does affect the image to me, but I like the dynamic water splash. Perhaps the image would be even more effective with some of the bottom and right side cropped off.

This is a remarkable series! Right time, right place, surely
I agree with Pam's thoughts on toning down the brightness in that area of #1.
I much prefer the composition and shutter speed you chose with #3.
I like #5 a lot, but the OOF areas keep it from being 'perfecto'. Were you using a mid- to telephoto lens there that kept all from being sharp?
Not much love for poor #2, is there?
In all, I think #3 is my favorite of your series. You've got a great eye for an icy composition...less so for titles.
Why is this Helen Hunt's Ice?

Cause its Helen Hunt Falls, John--pretty popular as a CO Springs spot, but i guess most people outside CO wouldnt know about it.
Yes, i was using a tele--which is why i had to focus blend some of the stuff, probably should have done more but evidently the DOF preview button lied big time...
I guess i could have used a shorter lens, but id probably have died falling down the falls, as others have done trying that route...

Thanks for the reply, Stan.
I thought that you might have been referring to the actress.

#5 is my fave, but the out of focus areas are a distraction. I wonder if some creative cropping, dodging, and burning wouldn't help here. Perhaps another visit is in order!

I like 1&3. On 1, i'll agree with the suggestions of Pam and Todd.
With 3, maybe crop at the bottom of the white ice in the ULC to rid that. I prefer the darker, more contrasty exposure in 4 over 3 in that the colors in the reflected/refracted light from the center ice are more evident, so maybe adjust 3 more that way?

You fall? You are built like a spider monkey!

Really like that first one with that red behind the ice.