Ice is not the easiest subject for photos. There’s lots that can go wrong and even professional photographers can get bad ice sculpture pictures. However, with a little knowledge and some preparation, you can drastically improve the quality of your ice photos. This, in turn, can help you sell more ice sculptures, which you can then take more pictures of to get more practice. But you need to consider that the only way to really preserve all the work you did on a sculpture is to get a photo that’s worthy of all that effort. If you did a crappy carving, then just get a quick photo to remember what you did. But if you did a fantastic sculpture, then you need to put some work into getting a fantastic photo of it as well. So let’s take a look at some of the do’s and don’ts for ice sculpture photos.

    Let’s assume that we’re talking about taking photos of a sculpture that will be set up at an upcoming event. (instead of a competition sculpture, for example) For the highest quality ice photos, your best bet is to take your photos in a freezer well before the sculpture set up.

pros:

1. No time pressure: the sculpture isn’t melting and the event isn’t about to start
   

2. You have time and opportunity to fix any little goofs or retake photos
   

3. You can control the lighting
   

4. You can control the background (for the most part)
   

5. You can control the surface appearance of the ice
   

6. Nobody walks in front of you as you’re taking a photo
   

cons:

1. It’s cold
   

2. You have to take special care of your camera in the cold (let your camera warm back up in a sealed plastic bag to protect delicate electronics from condensing moisture)
   

3. Camera batteries don’t last very long
   

4. It’s tough to get “people interacting with the ice” shots
   

5. You don’t get the “on location” look that can be really impressive at some events
   

6. It’s sometimes difficult to add food or props to the sculpture for the photo
   

7. You often have a limited amount of space
   

8. If it’s too cold, the ice can be vulnerable to heat, especially if you try to “glass” part of the sculpture
   

9. The sculpture might only be completely assembled at the event; in the freezer it’s only in pieces
   

    Despite the cons, most of the time it’s worth the effort to get a freezer shot of a special sculpture. Most of the truly fantastic ice sculpture photos that you’re likely to see were taken in below freezing conditions. Some of the time, however, you just can’t get a photo before the event. But you can usually still get a good photo at the event if you follow some basic guidelines:

1. Be early! (But not too early; it’s ice after all!) If you try to take your picture just before the event starts, people will likely be moving around the sculpture and trying to finish their own set ups. In addition, you and everyone else will be rushed.
   

2. Don’t use a flash unless you absolutely have to. If you have to, then take the photo at a slight angle (not straight on; the flash will reflect off the sculpture back at you!)
   

3. Take your photo after the ice has cleared, if possible (sometimes it’s not)
   

4. To avoid blurry photos, use a tripod if possible and don’t push the shutter button with your finger (use the timer or a cable release)
   

5. Take more than one photo!
   

6. Use a digital camera with a viewscreen that let’s you immediately see the shot so you can try again if necessary
   

7. Pay attention to the background. Ideally the background is darker to offer contrast with the ice. Keep fire alarms and “EXIT” signs out of your picture. White walls right behind the sculpture can be a problem.
   

8. Pay attention to the lighting. If possible, the sculpture should be as evenly lit as possible.
   

9. As you’re taking the photo, pay attention to the edges of your picture. Don’t cut off part of the ice, for example. (see the second photo below)
   

10. Leave a little bit of extra space around the edges (don’t zoom in really tight) so that you’ll have room to rotate and crop the shot if necessary. (see the second photo below)
    

11. Compose your photo before you take it. Chose the best vantage point. Take extra shots from creative vantage points.
    

12. If people are in your planned photo, make sure they know they’re about to be in a picture. Any people in the shot should be well groomed and presentable if you want to show the picture to potential clients. (no slobs!)
    

13. At this point, most cell phones can’t take pictures that you would want to have on a website or in your portfolio. They’ll be able to soon, but they’re not quite there yet. Use a real camera!
    

14. Don’t plan to fix it in Photoshop. Fix some minor problems in Photoshop if you have to, but you should make it as easy on yourself as possible by getting a good picture to start with. Don’t alter your ice in Photoshop!
    

    It’s important to get good photos of an artform that melts away! NICA has recognized this recently and started a new kind of ice carving competition. The sculpture quality will be judged, but not in person, only by photo. The intent is to improve ice carvers’ photography skills and allow carvers to compete who would ordinarily not travel to a NICA sanctioned event. Check NICA’s website for more details.

This dolphin could have used a darker background (black velvet, for example) that offers better contrast by reflecting less light. Also, in this shot, some of gel used to color the back lighting is visible at the bottom left of the sculpture.

This photo breaks more than one rule. I used a flash and the photo was way too tight. I ended up cutting off the ice at the top and on the left. Somebody walked behind the sculpture while I was taking the picture. (Until I looked at it recently, I thought it was crooked too.) The guests showed up at this reception forty minutes early, so there was no way to take my time and get the photo that I wanted. I only got this shot, which is unusable. I should have taken a shot of it in the freezer beforehand!

Here’s the raw photo of the machined logo, before the background was cleaned up.

    For another (but shorter) article on ice sculpture photography, check the entry on “flounder eye syndrome.”