Steamy Morn

Sony A700
Minolta 24-85 @ 24mm, CPL
ISO 200, 1/125 @ f11

Came across this scene on the Firehole River on our first day in Yellowstone. The lone tree caught my attention but when I got down to the riverside the light approaching the FG grasses attracted my eye even more. I just sat there and waited for the sun to rise high enough to throw sidelight on tree and grass. It was about 30° so there was a lot of steam coming off the Midway Geyser Basin in the BG. What a magical place. All comments welcome. >=))>

On an admonitory note, my trusty 24-85 has been my landscape mainstay for many years. On the second day of our trip it was mounted on my old backup A100 stashed in the upper compartment of my photo backpack. I had the lid of the pack closed with clips but did not have it zipped up completely. I was just going a short distance from the parking lot to my selected shooting location so tossed one shoulder strap on and forged ahead. The camera fell out of the pack and landed lens first on solid pavement. Luckily for me the lens was wearing its cap and hood which did not survive the fall. The A100 was wounded also and doesn't boot properly and I have suspicion that the sensor or something inside has shifted. But the lens survived and continued to work flawlessly throughout the trip. A new lens cap and hood were relatively inexpensive to replace and a mild price to pay for the lesson to be sure to secure the lid to the pack even if just stepping a few feet from the parking lot. Also confirmed my habit of having the cap and hood on anytime I'm not shooting.