Boil Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

I have posted several pictures of the landscapes of Rotorua. This one is a little different. The crusts of the earth are thin in New Zealand. And here, in Rotorua they are especially thin. The heat from the earth's core causes geysers to erupt, and ponds to steam. It also causes thick chocolate coloured mud to boil and ooze. Here at Te Whakawerawera I was really interested in the textures and patterns formed in the mud while they boiled. In a monochromatic scene such as this, colour becomes of little importance, and the patterns become everything.
Post processing was minimal; A crop, slight level and USM.
Enjoy, and please critique, as your suggestions help my photography.

Rhiannon, SophieL, emercamaya, whereami, Janice has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Rhiannon (1726) 2004-11-25 4:58

Wow, this looks almost eatable, or like fluid metal.
I like your angle and composition. Perfect clarity and DOF. Nice details. Excellent close up of this geothermal phenomena.
I can't think of anything to change in this one, but I am hoping to see a picture of the same place, but from some distance.
Maybe you already have such a picture? I will look through your gallery!
Again - great work!

SophieL (6030) 2004-11-25 5:03

Wow, it looks like lead or mercury. Very impressive patterns indeed, and very sharp on the foreground. The use of rather shallow DOF is good, however maybe the top of the picture is weaker (because less definite patterns) and you could imagine a square crop to keep only the bottom. That would make a different picture though, and yours is just fine as it is. Good eye!

emercamaya (359) 2004-11-25 5:54

I would use a greater DOF (so I would tend to disagree with the other critiques). The pattern is everything, so all of it should have been sharp. The top corners are also a bit distracting. However, I would say that you chose a very interesting subject and from a good angle. Nice lighting and colors too!

whereami (1449) 2004-11-25 6:05

I love the silky, glossy 'feel' of the mud in this photo. Wonderful pattern too and pin-sharp focus on the main pattern. I do think however that there's too much at the top, and that a simple crop would make the image much stronger. I did a quick workshop...

[workshop] [compare] +

Jason_teale (703) 2004-12-01 8:30

Interesting shot. Glad to see that you are looking for more avenues for your artistic outlet. Good eye on this one.