This is an updated process of one of my favorite images, originally posted early this year. Better clarity, punchier highlights, more shadow detail, MUCH less blue saturation, a more appealing hue, and a slight crop to this rendition. It’s closer to reality, while being in line with the vision I had for the shot. I’ve been slowly revising it over the past seven months or so, and I think it’s finally dialed. I guess something about winter in Minneapolis must have made me unable to see the ridiculous colors of a few images I put out around that time. Below is the text that accompanied my original post.

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Wisconsin’s Lake Superior ice caves require walking across a couple miles of lake ice to reach. Luckily for me, I chose to live in the Midwest the first winter they’ve been accessible since 2009. I missed a couple of rare freezes in the northwest while I was gone, but I gained this in exchange – and it’s exactly the type of ice image I’ve longed for.

This image has a short story to accompany it. The formations you see at the top, framing the image, are maybe 3 feet off the icy floor. I went on a day that was relatively warm (+25F), and the floor was turning to supercooled slush farther into the cave. I had to lie down/crawl around in it for almost an hour to compose this image. When I stood up after shooting, I panicked.

I COULD NOT FEEL MY BUTT. This wasn’t the numbness I had experienced growing up snowboarding, sledding, and playing in the snow. This was much worse. Was my butt frostbitten? Would it become necrotic and fall off in a couple days? Had I just sacrificed my gluteus for a single image? Is any image worth losing a butt over? I awkwardly hobbled the two miles back to my car, and didn’t feel a single thing until I was on the road home.

I’m still worried my butt is going to fall off, guys.

I’m scared.

Now, contrary to what might be suggested by what you’ve just read, I can assure you I am capable of acting in a professional manner. Along those lines, if you like the way my images look, you may be interested in knowing I teach my processing workflow over Skype! Please visit my website for more information: http://ift.tt/YdCotQ

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