You've definitely captured the feeling of "cold" -- I can imagine a lot of people being picky because -- between the running water, plants, and snow -- there's only a little actual ice showing.
Also, to me, the way you've cropped at/below the horizon makes it look as though the image is tilted a bit to the right (clockwise).
The only major thin I would have done differently on this shot was to align the water so it flows out of the left of the frame and crop out the upper part of the frame so the bend in the river does not show. This would make a powerful diagonal in your shot give allot of depth to the photo.
I think you grabbed your colors very well. I think the location of the water in the upper left is what kept you under a 5.5. That and the whole is snow and ice the same thing? (snow is ice).
The technicals: The image is soft. This is probably a product of not being able to use USM as normal because of all the little twigs and such. The exposure is on, but tough with all the snow. I'd like to see a bit more texture there if there was any.
The feel: the right side of the picture is just sorta blah. I don't like detrius like that at all. But, whatcha going to do in the winter? I do like the sloping curve of the river and the contrast of the whites and blues.
The game: I think the stuff on the right hurt you and adds to a bit of a "snapshot" feel to it. Working to see if you can have a similar image with something more appealing on the right would have been the challenge.
In my opinion, this does meet the challenge and you've got very good color in the water. The composition is good with the diagonal of the water, but the picture overall lacks a bit in a point of interest.
Craig, I think you framed this picture well, although I am not so sure about the border. I hesitate to say anything about the border, as I enjoy experiementing with borders too. Your border doesn't detract from the shot at all, but I am wondering if that affected some of the score. I didn't vote in this challenge, as there is little ice to be found in Arizona, but I think you captured the challenge well. I am sure it is difficult to capture snow and ice (which is sooooo white) without causing it to look overexposed. The photo made me shiver - which I think was your intent. It looks so cold. Thanks for sharing.
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