A cold day

[Rita]

I took this the other day at a nearby lake. It was a cold day and the lake was partially covered with ice. The cloud patterns and the very blue sky really caught my attention. In processing I tried to maintain the cold feeling to the image, I think I succeeded??? Something I am not sure about in the image is wether I should have left the treeline as a dark band. Does this tend to cut the image in half?

As always comments and critiques (good and bad) are most welcomed.

[FrankMi]

I think you succeeded Rita! I'm getting chills just viewing it!

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[kap55]

Very nice Rita. The treeline looks great as is. I love the reflections in the ice.

[chauncey]

You might consider getting rid of the tree line/mountain altogether and just have the ice blend
into the sky...would be interesting simplistic image.

[ashcroft]

A beautiful sky, and well captured. I can see why you want to keep as much of it as possible, but I think a crop of the top of the sky, bringing the horizon to the lower third line does make it look better. Have you tried it? How do you get the radiating sun like that?

[Rita]

Frank, John, and Brian, thank you.

Chauncy, that is something that I hadn't thought of doing. I am not sure how to do it but I am going to play with the idea and see what I come up with

Rob, thanks for the feedback. I did play with the crop. If I take something off of the top then it also takes from the sides. Wish I could figure out how to use the crop tool to change only one side. The radiating sun is done by using a small aperture. In this case I used f22.

[Nicks Pics]

This image is shouting icy-cold! It's almost monochrome in icy blue colors. I think the dark tree line is fine, it gives the image some contrast, and a base. You got a great sun-star here, what was the aperture? Since your last sun-burst image, I gave the technique a try and it works!

[DouglasRC]

Hi Rita. I think that you have captured that icy feeling beautifully. I would leave the treeline as is (but all these things are so subjective). I like your composition very much -- if you put a rule of thirds grid on the photo, you would see it lines up perfectly.

[rawill]

I like it as it is.

Processing issues for me are simple, it still needs to look natural.
So for example, I do not like running water that is so silky it is not for real.

Your sky looks kind of busy, but not dark enough to be angry, (to me)
I like the treeline, and there are some contrasting colours there which I like, makes it "real".

[rpcrowe]

This image gives me chills and it is 68 degrees Farenheit (20 C) outside my home right now.

I think that the dark tree line dds to the impact of the image.

[ashcroft]

Rob, thanks for the feedback. I did play with the crop. If I take something off of the top then it also takes from the sides. Wish I could figure out how to use the crop tool to change only one side.

What editor are you using - Photoshop?

The radiating sun is done by using a small aperture. In this case I used f22.

Thank you!

[FootLoose]

This is a great shot, Rita. Even the clouds look like they are frozen.

I wouldn't change anything. If I were to consider a crop, I might remove some of the foreground to lower the horizon and make the sky more of a feature. However, I think it works just the way it is.

[ShaneS]

That is a nice chilly shot Rita! I'm with Greg in terms of any potential for improvement via crop.

[dje]

Cool shot Rita You can almost feel the crispness in the air. Very nicely done.

Dave

[Rita]

Nick, glad you had a chance to try it, you can also get the starburst effect on streetlights too. I used f22 on this one.

Richard, thanks for the feedback. Sure wish it was 68 here.

Rob, I am using photoshop cc. And, your welcome.

Douglas, Robin, Greg, Shane & Dave, appreciate your feedback.

[Manfred M]

Rita - I'm also in the "don't change anything" camp.

This image works beautifully just the way it is. When I first opened it I almost thought the sky was reflecting the frozen lake.

As for your question on the Photoshop CC crop tool, just click on the clear button with the tool active, and that will remove all the constraits on how you can crop. That way you can move the edges on all four sides independently.

[GBO25]

Brilliant!!!

[Brownbear]

Drop dead gorgeous sky with a sun star, and even a glimpse of the moon - with the beautiful colours and reflections in the ice - truly special!

I like it as is, and also with a wee bit cropped a wee bit off the bottom but only because it places more emphasis on the sky, and only because I adore shots with big skies.

[Barbara Ponder]

Very nice! Does indeed invoke a feeling of a chill in the air!