Jin (gold), mu (wood), shui (water), huo (fire), tu (earth). I remember the basic elements of our world through this heuristic in Mandarin. It is slightly different from the elements most frequently depicted in American culture, which are Earth, fire, rain, wind, and spirit. Luckily, this photo represents an essential element of both worlds! I was entranced by the intricate pattern of the concentric rings of air bubbles, trapped in an elongated spike within the ice. The icy ray of blue at the left, behind my hand, further reminds me of mystical stories constructed around our elements, like the ice sword Excalibur.
I took this photo using a shutter speed of 1/80, an aperture of 4.5, and an ISO of 800.