Submitter's name:	Jay Maynard
Title:	Fence of ice
Gear used:	E-10
Diaphragm:	f/5.6 (approx)
Shutter speed:	1/640
Technical information:	The angle of the subject was dictated by the desire to make the ice sparkle. This led to a somewhat less than optimal composition.
Subject information:	A fenced-in field beside a county road. There was an ice storm the preceding day, and it coated everything in sight. By the time this was taken late in the afternoon, it had already melted off of the roads, but was still coating wires and trees.
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Comment left by: Brian Swale (bj@caverock.net.nz)

The fences really stand out; they make this shot. I can almost feel the frost biting at my fingers as I look at this scene; just imagine what it would be like to be outside there at night. and the crunch of the frozen blades of grass beneath your feet as they are shattered by your tread. For me, nostalgic.

Comment left by: Wayne Harridge (no e-mail specified)

Looks bleak - a bit like where I work

Comment left by: bbbean (bbbean@beancotton.com)

I like the ice on the fence.

Comment left by: Gary Edwards (no e-mail specified)

"I am a lineman for the county. . ." The picture is better than the song. . .

Comment left by: John A. Lind (no e-mail specified)

Had to look at this one for a while. The vanishing point formed by perspective lines from the road, fence and power lines pulls my eye out of the left edge of the frame. You've already mentioned the "less than optimal" composition and I'm guessing this is what you are referring to. I might have worked some with the road to see if there was a method to keep the vanishing point in the frame and not lose the excellent lighting angle to celebrate the ice. It is mitigated some by the junction of the two fences near the end of the tree line, and one must be on the ground at the location to understand all the constraints at the time . . . along with working in wet and cold weather. A nice inclusion of the distant, level horizon line gives the viewer a proper reference with the non-vertical power poles. Excellent use of lighting angle from the sun to highlight the ice which looks quite thick.

Comment left by: Mickey Trageser (no e-mail specified)

I never have a camera available when I see this rare (in Maryland) sort of scene. The ice on the fence is compelling, but the ice on the lines needs more attention. While the vanishing point draws you off to the left, a vehicle entering from the left may have countered balanced it a bit visually. A polorizing filter could have added contrast to the bright ice vs. background and sky. Of course, as a digital image you could certainly goose the contrast and saturation up with software. I like this image.

Comment left by: Jay Maynard (jmaynard@conmicro.cx)

Yes, the vanishing point out of the left side of the picture was what I was referring to. I hadn't thought about having a car coming down the road to balance the composition, though... This picture demonstrates the wide limit of the E-10. I had the lens cranked all the way out to the 35mm equivalent focal length, and it wasn't wide enough. If I panned to the left to get in the vanishing point and the road, the closer part of the fence would have been lost, and that was the most interesting part of the scene. I'm not sure a 28 (or the E-10 with the wide converter) would have been wide enough; had I been using an OM, I'd have reached for the 24.

Comment left by: Jay Maynard (jmaynard@conmicro.cx)

Oh, and the ice was about 1/4 inch thick. The temperature had warmed up to about 50 F by the time I took this picture, about 5:30 PM the day after the ice storm. You can see a couple of places where the ice melted off in big chunks. I hadn't thought of using a polarizer, and in this case it might well have helped. I was a little disappointed that the ice on the wires didn't stand out more, but didn't try any manipulations to make it more visible. I might try loading it up in Photoshop and playing around. The picture was taken March 15, the day after the ice storm on March 14. Folks in Minnesota should remember that one, especially since it was the only real winter storm this year.

Comment left by: Jez Cunningham (no e-mail specified)

A bit too much empty road surface for me. You could also try flipping left-right - a lead-in from the left is often more appealing...

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