Hi Ruth. To my eye, each of your images tells a different story. I see the original color photo to be a literal interpretation of what you saw and is beautiful in its own right. The color of the rocks play well against the ice and one can get a hint of color shining subtly through the thin layer. It definitely evokes Sedona in late winter.

Your "as presented" version's lack of color invites a more abstract interpretation and I would opine that it is unfair to the viewer to show both versions side by side, as it forces comparison. Thus, viewing them side by side gave me the impression that the featured image was simply a B&W version of the original rather than being something unique unto itself. This is not to say I don't like the B&W version!!! I do like it. But, because I couldn't un-see the color version I think perhaps I'm not able to appreciate it as much as you would have intended. For me, it also made commenting on the mono version more of a challenge.

So, I thought if I mashed it up a bit, I could look at it differently and appreciate its uniqueness. I hope my edit hasn't strayed too far from your intention.   Posted: 07/07/2024 03:50:14

I like both the abstract nature of the monochrome as well as the more realistic appearing color shot. Nice job on both. When you cropped the monochrome you cut out most of a group of leaves which were interesting in the color shot but not needed in the monochrome. This did remind me of nature photography class I took once. The instructor told us to not just look up and ahead but occasionally look down. Well done.   Posted: 07/11/2024 20:04:25

Ruth, Both of these images are very appealing. I appreciate the color version with the beautiful golden orange of the rocks against the ice. I also like how the light on the rock is very apparent in the color version. The monochrome is abstract as it is difficult to see what it is but I like the contrast and textures. How did it go in the camera club competition?   Posted: 07/15/2024 23:06:34

You cropped in nicely on the ice oddity. Very interesting crystalline formation. Totally new to me. I'm so glad you were able to show it to us. You did a good job with the cropping and it made sense to turn it into a monochrome as the ice is colorless. There doesn't seem to me to be much more you could have done than you already accomplished using our heavy duty helpers, PS and Lightroom Exciting photo. You might see if a newspaper would be interested to show this unusual formation. Maybe wait until next winter.
  Posted: 07/16/2024 21:14:05

Hi Ruth,
Both color and B&W versions are beautiful! The B&W shows the contrast between not only the details but also the robustness of the rocks and the fragility of the ice. Your crop with a big piece of rock on the mid left in lighter color that has the formation of icicles like sunrays works very well. Great discovery and nice shot!   Posted: 07/17/2024 20:30:38

Ruth,

I keep coming back to this photo and can't decide if I prefer the color or the B&W version. Great job!   Posted: 07/27/2024 20:46:00