Icicles

Shot this one yesterday after we had almost 40” inches of snow in the span of a week in the northeast USA.

Reminds me of guitar strings, or piano strings, or maybe icy fingers. Thoughts?

 

I personally would have gone for more distinction of the icicles from the background, but ....

I agree with JDM. What might do the trick . . . Either burn the background and dodge the icicles or simply sharpen the icicles.

I like the almost camouflaging effect of the icicles and background working together. It's something different and actually expresses what is often my own experience of icicles on a snowy day. They often DON'T stand out. Of course, that doesn't mean that same effect will make a good photo, but in this case I see potential in not isolating the "subject" more.

 

I do find that the central dark bark of the main tree is the strongest pull on my eye and am not sure that's effective, since it draws me to one of the least interesting elements of the photo, both due to its centrality and its dark tone in an otherwise lighter-toned scene.

 

And, while the shallow depth of focus, allowing only the foreground icicles to be in focus against lots and lots of bokeh—bokeh that's not particularly compelling, well articulated or highlighted—helps isolate the icicles (which, as I said, is not a plus for me), it's the technique of focus that I'm more aware of than the poetic potential in the scene. I'd like to see this handled well either with a more interesting approach to shallow depth of field or with a greater depth of field that allowed me into both foreground and background.

I'm in agreement wit JD and Michael as far as emphasizing the icicles and deemphasizing the background. I'd have probably cropped a hefty chunk off the left side of the frame and maybe a little from the bottom too, but that's me!