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March 2015 GOTM

Gallery: Gallery of the MonthPosted January 27, 2015640 views17 comments

Amazon Stillness

During my recent trip to Peru, we spent some time at a biological research station called Cicra up the Madre de Dios River, a little ways south of Manu National Park. It was a great place to be a photographer, as they had a great series of trails, a 200 ft tower with an observation platform well above the forest canopy, and a beautiful little lagoon surrounded by palm trees that were usually full of chattering monkeys.

One evening I paddled out into the lagoon after bailing about 10 inches of water out of the boat, and just enjoyed drifting it the still, dark water until evening. Part of me was hoping that a jaguar would stride out of the darkness for a drink of water, but I'm content with this low-light portrait of a Palm trunk and brown fronds hanging down into the water.

Canon 5d Mark iii, 70-200mm lens, 1/125 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

Comments

17 comments

Comment posted by Ronald Murphy on January 27, 2015 at 11:51 AM

Beautiful little scene you've captured here. I'm not completely sure, but maybe a crop from the bottom to put the shore line vertically in the middle would be good too.

Registered on March 13, 2012, 279 Posts, 975 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on January 27, 2015 at 12:44 PM

Thanks for the feedback Ronald. I struggled with where to put shoreline on this one while I was shooting it, and I'm still not sure where I prefer it. Here's a version with a bit taken off the bottom, I think i might prefer it to the original. Thanks again.

Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments

Comment posted by Navin Sarma on January 27, 2015 at 12:48 PM

Subtle light and comp, I really like it Tom... conversely I would try a crop off of the top just to experiment, as I think the dark pool adds to the mysticism of the scene

Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 27, 2015 at 1:21 PM

Nicely seen - cool reflections and I like the symmetry with the black water and the pop of green int he middle

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on January 27, 2015 at 1:55 PM

Version 2 for me. Nice shot!

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Nathan Apodaca on January 27, 2015 at 2:39 PM

I'll go ahead and cast my vote for the first image. The reason is that I feel it's a stronger image with more foreground, with is blurred and darkened toward the bottom. As Navin said, it adds mystery to the image and adds another dimension to the otherwise "nice scene". Anyways, just my thoughts... Nice image!

Registered on November 16, 2011, 67 Posts, 1127 Comments

Comment posted by D.A. Edwards on January 27, 2015 at 4:37 PM

Looks like you should provide a crop from the top version, Thomas

That would be my inclination as the pool and reflection are the highlights of the image, IMO. Nice scene, nicely rendered.

Registered on October 8, 2014, 226 Posts, 1187 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Reid on January 27, 2015 at 5:01 PM

Really a nice scene you've captured Thomas with some very nice colors. I think I prefer the original as my eyes flow up into it better. Both look good though. Great job.

Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on January 27, 2015 at 7:15 PM

I like both, but prefer the original because it flows better for me. The light and color look wonderful. Nicely done!

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on January 27, 2015 at 8:30 PM

Great color and light. I think I like the second version a bit better. Both are very appealing.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on January 27, 2015 at 9:14 PM

This has a fine clean, graphic look. I prefer the near perfect reflections fading into nothingness at the bottom of the original post but also agree that a cropped from the top version would be even more mysterious.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on January 28, 2015 at 7:52 AM

Thanks for all the feedback. Here's a version cropped down from the top a bit, I think I prefer the original, but it's a tough one!

Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on January 28, 2015 at 10:21 AM

I like the original best. The image has a nice, simple abstract look to it. Well done.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Balan Vinod on January 29, 2015 at 2:02 AM

Thomas..beautifully crafted image ..love the contrast in the frame ..and the ripples in the reflection. Very well seen and captured.

Balan Vinod

Registered on March 20, 2006, 889 Posts, 2312 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on January 29, 2015 at 10:53 AM

This is interesting. I really like the crooked trunk flanked by the dry fronds and the rich colors.

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Zelinka on January 29, 2015 at 2:12 PM

I know how tough it is to find good comps in a chaotic environment like this, but you did a great job with this. Either version works for me.

Registered on August 20, 2007, 206 Posts, 998 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on January 29, 2015 at 8:27 PM

Sweet little scene, Thomas. The original is the one for me.

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments