Ice-cycle
It is amazing what the spring thaw will reveal
It is amazing what the spring thaw will reveal
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May, 2018Views
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Awards
Fall Award 2020
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
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Behind The Lens
Location
I had taken this photo in Yellowknife at Frame Lake. It was an odd sight, of course, to see this bicycle partly submerged in the ice and I tried many different angles to try get a sense of the story of what is going on here. I decided to go with black and white, also, as it seems to emphasize the isolation and emptiness of the scene. A bicycle, after all, is an object for motion and to see it literally frozen, in a lake no less, is incongruous.Time
This was taken in the late afternoon on a crisp, sunny day. The sun was glinting off the ice across the lake and I had to change my position a few times to try to match the scene in my head with what was before me.Lighting
I like how the foreground is significantly darker than the background, due partly to the ice itself, but also due to the reflection of the sun. This contrast adds to the strangeness of the photo, slightly removing it from reality, as shadows and darkness are often in the background, instead of closer to us in the foreground.Equipment
This was shot with my Canon EOS Rebel SL1. I did my best to capture what I had wanted with natural daylight and, as I walk around this lake a fair bit, I had not had a tripod with me, so I did my best to keep my cold hands steady and capture this shot.Inspiration
I have spent a fair bit of time in Yellowknife and have found that Frame Lake and its surroundings have provided me with many eye-catching sights. As stated above, the unusual vision of this bicycle in the ice made me stop and take notice. There were a couple of other people who had snapped a few shots with their cell phones, as I was trying to capture this.Editing
I have not delved into any post-processing yet. I still have so much to learn about basic framing and settings that I am pushing myself to try to capture as good a shot as possible before delving into the world of post-processing.In my camera bag
I have my Canon EOS Rebel SL1 with the kit 18-55mm lens. I also have a couple of the pancake lenses like a 50mm and a 24mm. The nifty fifty, in particular, really changed the way that I look at things with my camera, as it forces me to move around my subject rather than stand in one spot and let the lens do the work. This way, I get to explore different perspectives of a subject. The short depth of field possible with these pancake lenses is great to play with, as well. I also carry a 250mm zoom lens, which has helped me capture some of the creatures around the lake without disturbing them. It is a relatively humble set up, but it suits my needs for the moment.Feedback
Be sure to get outside in all kinds of weather - hot, cold, wet, dry - and look all around you. Keep your eyes open and look at everything anew. Try different positions and angles to capture your subject. One of the great advantages of digital photography, is that we have a luxury in the virtually unlimited number of shots that we can take. As such, we can explore and experiment, trying different settings until we capture what we want. Above all, let yourself be enchanted by everything you see and share that feeling with others.
