Notes from the field :

This image was made on a frozen lake, just before sunrise. This is the exact type of image I had in mind before leaving in the pre-dawn darkness. The tricky part was finding a patch of ice that I could work with. This is a pretty typical situation, where I spend more time wandering around, contemplating shots than actually taking them.

The even light made for ideal conditions to concentrate on textures, shapes, and form. It also helped with the 'cool' tone to the shot. The reverse S-curve is a dynamic compositional element to lead the viewer through the image.

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About the subject :

This lake has been subjected to a few thaws and freezes, with the darker portion of the image being the deeper part of the lake. As usual, the edges of the lake normally freeze first - building up opaque layers of ice.

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Technical details :

This image is one of the first from my new digital SLR, the Nikon D2H. The camera is a dream to work with in the field, particularly for its ergonomics and handling. There is something to be said for a camera that handles this well. If a camera feels good to operate, I think you are a bit more comfortable in being creative and concentrating on composition. The lens is a Nikon 70-200 f2.8 AFS-VR (also a joy to work with). ISO 200 setting on the camera.

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About the composition :

1] S-curves are great elements to find in nature. Your composition will almost always improve with the use of one because of their dynamic nature.

2] Contrast is another useful element in guiding the viewer's eye. We are immediately drawn to the highest contrast areas of the image. In this case, the contrast also went hand-in-hand with the s-curve of the ice.

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