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Wasting Ice


Wasting Ice
Photo Information
Copyright: James Parker (Jamesp) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1369 W: 9 N: 6334] (18906)
Genre: Landscapes
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-07
Categories: Seascape
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/501 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Franz Josef Land, gondox's favorites - landscapes [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-03-09 3:57
Viewed: 6300
Points: 54
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I took this shot from a zodiac at around 11pm one night (midnight sun). It shows some melting icebergs - they have grounded several times and picked up sediment (the back bits). When icebergs melt, they become very unstable and tip and turn frequently.

This was taken with a Canon 10D. Franz Josef Land is an archipelago located in the far north of the Russian Federation. The Land is situated in the Arctic Ocean to the north from Novaya Zemlya and to the east from Spitsbergen (Svalbard), and administratively it belongs to Arkhangelsk Region. Franz Josef Land consists of 191 ice-covered islands with a total area of 16,134 square kilometers and these islands are mostly not inhabited. The biggest islands are Alexandra's Land (Zemlya Aleksandry), George's Land (Zemlya Georga), Wilchek's Land (Zemlya Vilcheka), Graham Bell Island and Gallya Island.
The archipelago is volcanic, and is composed of Tertiary and Jurassic basalts, and though it is covered mostly with ice it has outcroppings covered with moss and lichens.

The northernmost point is Cape Fligely on Rudolf Island. The archipelago is located about 1050 km from the North Pole, closer than all other places except for Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland. Some historians tend to say that the archipelago was first discovered by the Norwegian sailors Nils Fredrik Ronnbeck and Aidijarvi aboard the schooner "Spitsbergen" in 1865, which, according to the histrorical reports, sailed to the east from Spitsbergen (Svalbard) until they reached a new land.

The officially recognized discovery took place in 1873 by the Austrian polar explorers Payer and Weyprecht, who named the new land in honour of the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I. As the expedition was only privately sponsored and not official, these islands have never became a part of Austria. In 1926 the islands were added to the Soviet Union, and a few inhabitants came for research work and military purposes.

During the Cold War years, the polar regions and many points in the arctic became key strategic locations. The islands were declared one of many national security areas from the 1930s to 1991. An airfield was built at Greem Bell Island to serve as a staging base for Russian bomber aircraft, and training missions were quite common between Franz Josef Land, the mainland, and Novaya Zemlya (New Land). The first cruise ship visited the islands in 1971.

The climate is quite severe on the islands. The annual average temperature is -12.8 °C (in January -15 °C and in July 2.2 °C). Fog is very common on the islands in the late summer.

The wildlife of the islands consists mostly of Walrus, Arctic foxes, and Polar Bears. There are 37 bird species on the territory of the archipelago. Common birds include kittiwakes, fulmars, and gulls. Beluga whales can be often observed in the surrounding waters.
mariki, gondox, smitha, albert, boreocypriensis, kmr13777, bahadir, SelenE, vanderschelden, jaycee, Royaldevon, Heaven, matatur, nglen, NinaM, nkasot, CeltickRanger, Adanac, rousettus, earthtraveler, delic, Evelynn, Bass has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To nkasot: ThanksJamesp 1 03-09 23:20
To bahadir: ThanksJamesp 1 03-09 23:19
To Heaven: Ice togetherJamesp 1 03-09 23:17
To vanderschelden: lenseJamesp 3 03-09 10:43
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi James,
being so realistic that it touches me in a way I cannot think of anything else about it, besides that it's beautiful! A place I think I'll never be able to visit, so thanks a lot for sharing!

Best regards,
Andor

Hello James,
Beautiful shot. Never knew it was so beautiful out there. Good exposure and POV. Very well composed.Thanks for the share,
Smitha.

Hi James
Good POV and DOF, interesting clours
Well seen
Albert

Hi James,


A wonderfull compositon of these two different coloured iceberg friend! Lovely and fantastic appearence! TFS.
Cheers,
Have a nice week my friend!

Bayram

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1739 W: 224 N: 6872] (24909)
  • [2008-03-09 7:22]

Hi James,
what a superb shot!
I love all the different shapes in the ice.
The contrast between brown and white ice is great!
Excellent clarity as well.
Great work.
Cheers,
Joe

Bonjour James
Magnifique composition, belle netteté, couleurs et cadrage, une réussite.
Amicalement Robi

Hello James,
Excellent capture of these huge icebergs. Composition is also wonderful. TFS.
Regards,
Bahadır

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2249 W: 65 N: 4205] (13972)
  • [2008-03-09 9:05]

Hello dear James,
Beautiful and an artistic photo of the icebergs. What I liked the most here is the lighting, exposure control, colors and patterns. TFS
Best wishes,
Selen

Hello James,
I see a 80 mm focal length...wonder what lens you used as it must be no easy to photograph from this kind of small adventure boat?
And it must be said that your photo is technically well done!
Awesome colors; almost like ice cream; "what do prefer, pure or chocolat?".
Great work!
TFS
Annick

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2454 W: 10 N: 8044] (25460)
  • [2008-03-09 9:52]

Hi James,

Beautiful shot of these icebergs. I'm afraid that's too cold for me and I'll never get to see this. The Glaciers in Alaska were the closest I've seen. A fascinating picture with superb notes.

Jane

Hello James,

A wonderful melee of shapes, curves lines and co-ordinated tones of colour! From a distance it looks like an abstract painting; closer to, it is much more interesting!

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

Hi James!

You can certainly imagine that I like this picture very much! We should "work" together: I present the ice through my macro lens, and you get the wider perspective...

Very nice and artistic picture!

Kind regards

Markus

What an interesting "icescape" James, wind and water sculptured clean and not so clean ice make a good composition, TFS and cheers my friend,
Mehmet

Hello James
Another fascinating post detailing how icebergs behave given thier specific location.
Very interesting to see the sedimentary layers as the icebergs have forced thier way into the floor of the sea.
Another great post full of detail and information.

All the Best
Paul

(ps.. I have just got your mail and replied)

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2883 W: 30 N: 9683] (36145)
  • [2008-03-09 11:52]

Hi James. You have come down to sea leavel today. and with it an amazing sight one i may never see so thanks for posting this picture with interesting notes. TFS.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • NinaM Gold Star Critiquer [C: 773 W: 3 N: 1157] (4077)
  • [2008-03-09 12:01]

Another ice "art of nature" picture, just like Markus (Heaven) has posted today. Yours is of a different scale that's why I like it and the comparison between the two is irrelevant... except that both talk about "ice". It is beautiful James, the curves of the icebergs make out for a fantastic composition and fantastic contrasts in colour against the blue water. It's an abstract oeuvre d'art, thanks!

Francine

Hello James
wonderful landscape capture. TFS. Regards, Nazım

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1273 W: 1 N: 6188] (21378)
  • [2008-03-09 12:44]

Hello James,
Thats what I like about you James one minute you will have us in a United States desert and the next day we are in the Russian Artic. Superb composition and colors in this excellent image.
Rick

Hi James,
Wasting Ice's great macro capture. This photograph very nice, but your notes also great as much as the shot. Nice to read. I learn many things. Thanks for all of them.
well done
Ahmet

Hello James,
Thank you for sharing this impressive view of the wasting ice! also appreciated for the informative notes regarding this, do gain a lot of knowledge out of it!
a fine image with good details and colouration!
best regards
tony

Hello James,

Very nice composition. Excellent POV, DOF and sharpness. Wonderful light and colours.
Cheers,
Mariki

Hi James,
I love the sharp and colorful details of the ice here. The composition is quite dynamic also. tfs Richard

  • Great 
  • delic Gold Star Critiquer [C: 440 W: 6 N: 310] (898)
  • [2008-03-10 11:26]

Unusual colors and abstraction. I like the water's texture but wish I could see more of the icebergs.
Hakan

I remember being warned that tipping/rolling icebergs can suck a zodiac right under. We always steered clear of them during our zodiac days in Alaska. I like the abstract nature of your image. The color and sharpness are superb.

TFS
Evelynn : )

hello James

WOW ! what a superb Seascape shot of those icebergs,
excellent POV, lovely luminosity of the image,
excellent sharpness and details of all the image, TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-03-11 8:44]

Hello James

That ice reminds me of a sculpture by Henry Moore.
Well composed and positioned in the frame.
Lovely use of lighting the colours are well saturated.
Excellent POV.
TFS

Rob

  • Great 
  • Bass Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 173 W: 0 N: 233] (974)
  • [2008-03-13 7:27]

Hi James,
Amazing picture. Lovely colours. I like the POV, seems like you have been in a laberinth of big blocks of ice!
What i always love of ice and snow is how you can see different ages or different steps. Here you have the dirty and old one, then another with some marks... it´s wonderful.
good work!
have a nice day!
Brenad

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