We recently went on an "ice out" canoe trip into Algonquin Park and we ended up in a snow storm during our last day of paddling. I took quite a few photos with my point and shoot, which doesn't perform well in low light, producing too much purple, so I converted my favourites to black and white.


....the water looked like mercury, new snow hanging heavy on the boughs of the trees, so moody and beautiful ... I am very disappointed I didn't have the good camera out... one of those very rare photographic opportunities missed...


Not sure how effective these are, but wanted to share a few. Thanks!


My favourite








At the portage







heading down the small river







our travelling companions...

[riff]

it is the sense of space that defines the subjects in both shots

Agreed. In both cases I prefer the originally posted image. Tamia said it well.

[MSL]

The tighter crops make good images, but I have to agree with you, Tess, about the sense of expansiveness provided by the original images. The composition of the first shot has the tall dead tree a bit close to center, but I don't mind that, especially as the island is offset left a bit. The thing I like about the originals is that they take me to times when I've been on similar large lakes, where the feeling that the water is wide is there with each paddle stroke. And the snow plastered on the trees, along with the monochrome landscape (contrasting with the people and canoe), sets the scene very well. They evoke the cold wet aromas, and the sounds of the post-storm lakes, and paddling across them. BTW, the crop of the first one has a crooked horizon, where the first didn't.

I'll agree with you point about expansiveness; one which @riff also noted. And I kept that in mind when I cropped the images. It made for more of a challenge on the second one, and I debated cropping the right hand side or not. But in both cases I kept almost all of the foreground, whereas I think Tess cropped quite a bit.

I'm not arguing that my interpretation of the images are better - I think they have elements that are better, whether it is the cropping, contrast or some other factor a I tweaked. As I mentioned above, I tend to push the limits when I PP other people's images, just to show what can be done (and often to make a point that anything can be done at all since that is sometimes a topic of debate).

[tessfully]

Thanks Tamia and riff, it is great to hear your perspective on the images. MLS, I wasn't sure what you meant originally, and the crop you did in the first is quite good... and you did retain that sense of space in the second. The bump in contrast on the first starts the noise in the sky... something I had to work hard at getting rid of... but I like the bump in the second.

I wish these were better photos to start with, then I could entertain changes more readily... I do agonize over crops and contrast before I consider sharing a photo, so I did try lots of different things. But, that being said, I am always always happy to have someone show me ideas. Thanks very much!