Mint on Ice by Ola Cedell

Captured as a deliberate exploration of depth and dimensionality, this macro study features a wet ice cube accented by a single mint leaf. The photographer utilized natural light, carefully manipulated with cardboard reflectors, to coax sparkling highlights from the ice. By meticulously balancing the aperture at f/5.6, the artist achieved a perfect equilibrium between a shallow depth of field and a tangible sense of scale. This image is award-worthy for its technical precision in macro composition and its ability to transform a simple, ephemeral subject into a compelling, three-dimensional visual experience.

Mint on Ice by Ola Cedell
Exposure 1/Xsec @ f/5.6 | ISO X | Focal Length Xmm
Copyright Β© Ola Cedell
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Ola Cedell

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Born in southern Sweden in 1969, Ola Cedell has lived in Australia and Germany before returning to his home country in 2003. Balancing a professional career in engineering with a long-standing passion for photography, he specializes in landscape and food imagery, often contributing to the catering firm Gazpacho. His creative vision is shaped by his diverse international experiences and a deep appreciation for culinary arts, drawing significant inspiration from the landscapes of southern Sweden and the French Alps.

Profile View Full Profile
12.8/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
264/500
SHARE
SUBMISSION
Award Reach | Reviews
9,796 views | 3 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date May 1, 2018
69.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 13.0
Clarity 13.0
Composition 18.0
Style 12.0
Skill 13.0
Photograph Location
MalmΓΆ, Sweden

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Food Photography
Ola Cedell Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (12.6/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,080/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
9,796/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
2.6/5 points
264/500 Submission
Jury Score: 69.0/80
Resonance Score: 12.6/20
Total Award Score: 81.6/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 3

Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Most food photography is disposable, destined for a quick scroll. Of the thousands I’ve reviewed, few capture the fleeting nature of cold like this. It’s the way the mint leaf is suspended in that fractured, crystalline prison that gets me; I can almost feel the chill on my own skin. By choosing f/5.6, Cedell avoided the trap of total blur, keeping the ice’s architecture sharp. It’s a quiet, enduring study of entropy I’ll actually remember.
Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
Ice is a prison for the ephemeral, yet here it feels like a tomb. Cedell captures the mint leaf suspended in a crystalline stasis that chills me to the bone. It’s not merely a macro study; it’s a confrontation with the void. The shadows don’t just define the edges of the cube; they swallow the light’s pretense of warmth. I’ve seen enough food photography, but this cold, dark geometry forces me to acknowledge our own inevitable stillness.
Eleanor Voss Composition & Visual Structure Expert Review
The frame’s geometry hinges on the mint leaf’s sharp, serrated edge. It’s a calculated disruption of the ice’s crystalline mass. The shallow depth of field forces the eye into a narrow, frozen corridor, refusing peripheral drift. It’s clinical, yet the way the light catches the condensation creates a rare, tactile tension. I’ve rarely seen such coldness hold its own weight so effectively. It doesn’t need sentiment. The structure is absolute. It’s a precise, architectural triumph.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Dominic Aurelius

The Architecture of Stillness

Seneca once remarked that we are often more frightened than hurt, and that we suffer more in imagination than in reality.

Read the reflection →
By Margaret Holt

The Architecture of a Chill

There is a quiet violence in the way water surrenders to the cold. We think of freezing as a hardening, a locking away of movement, but it is really a transformation of structure.

Read the reflection →

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