Just recently saw an ICM image here and made a comment about impressionism vs.abstraction and surrealism in this format so I thought I would post one of my own efforts at ICM taken in March of 2020. This was from an observation platform looking into some coastal sage ridge lines. One never really knows what you are going to get. But after trying a few movements and looking through the monitor to check results I liked the overall landmass and sky colors and believed they would be fun to work in post processing with Lightroom. I maxed the telephoto to 300mm. My only thought process was would the hills be somewhat recognizable and would the sky colors be compatible with the earth tones. I was very surprised to see how they blended together. Do you get fog or wind movement with the image?
Any and all comments on the ICM style or the image are welcome . Does it engage your mind?
Nikon D7100, 70-300mm @ 300, f16 @ 1/8s. on a tripod to control sharpness (Does that make sense…sharpness with an ICM shot? ).
Well now, this is a belter! In every way possible. I think ICM is incredibkly hard to get right, especially when shooting a subject like this. I honestly think you have achieved the balance between surrealism and atomosphere really well.
I think with ICM you have to be able to identify the subject but also be able convey some atristry and message. You can indentify the mountains bit also the feeling of being there through the movement of the camera and the resulting movement of the clouds.
I’m going to shut up now, but I would happily hang an image of this quality! Well done
This is an outstanding ICM image. A perfect combination of abstract parts and recognizable parts of the mountains. I also like the color scheme of this image. Finally, the repeating ridge patterns creating the upper ridge line add even more to the image.
Beautiful sweeping movement and energy in this image Stephen. IMO you have captured just enough movement, while still keeping some clarity. Also love the very soft gradient of colors. Very nicely seen and captured.
@Stephen_Stanton this is a really wonderful ICM image. It really fits Eugene’s description to a T, recognizable elements, but with a very artistic look at the same time. I definitely get a sense of fog/wind movement. To some degree, this reminds of the way clouds look when you use an ND filter and a very long exposure. It has that same wispy and ethereal look. What really surprises me about how this turned out is that the tops of ridges almost seem sharp relative to the rest of the image. Did you briefly pause during the ICM movement to get this look? If not I would be curious to know what type of motion created this look, it is very interesting.
The other thing I wanted to ask you about was in your comments on another recent ICM post you talked about Impressionistic, Abstract and Surreal ICM’s. In your mind, how do you define and distinguish between the various types of ICM’s that you have terms for? And what type of ICM would consider this to be?
Thank you for image comments and your feedback on ICM images in general @Eugene_Theron@Ola_Jovall@linda_mellor@Ed_McGuirk. I think the strong earth mid tones and the ethereal sky colors helped in this final composition. @Ed_McGuirk as far as technique what I think I recall for this was a small quick jerk up and then down and a straight sweep to the right . I believe using a tripod helped with the sharper separating lines on the ridges.
Ed M, my comments on a recent “pastoral image” with ICM was that if you are going after Impressionism in the final output, it might be better to use post processing efforts rather than any intentional camera movement. I see the use of ICM not as trying to get close to the school of Impressionism painting, but more a quick stab at Surrealism and Abstraction with the camera . The difference for me is if the shapes and forms are conveyed as recognizable elements it might be seen as surreal. An abstract image for me is you when really are not sure what you are looking at but the combination of shapes, forms and color have created and engaging image. And of course it is always in the eye of the beholder.
I had to look it up, but really agree with @Eugene_Theron that this is a belter. (And I’m not much of an ICM guy really.) I appreciate the grounding the rides bring, and love the mix of color you caught there.
I do love this image, with so much softness and mystery. The colors are wonderful, and though I wouldn’t be able to identify it as coastal sage ridge lines, it doesn’t matter at all. It engages my mind quite a bit since it leaves a fair amount to the imagination. That’s what is intriguing about well done ICM images, such as this one. Bravo!
