The Tree Is My Shelter (Please view in large)

It was a cold but calm night in Wanaka. The lake water level was

surprisingly high such that the tree trunk was completely sunk under

the water. But this tree was obviously a safe shelter for these little

birds.

Taking this image was not simple: as the water level was too high,

there was no possibility to frame the scene that I was interested from

the lake shore. Luckily, with my wader on, I was able to stand in the

cold water for a long time to take my shots.

Thanks for viewing this image.

Good title!Your walk in the water paid off as you found a choice  POV to capture the impressive scene:good sky,the mountain background and the good reflection of the shelter tree.Have you have tried this with a slightly tighter crop from the left?I just find that the fallen branch on the right draws the eye to that side of the frame which feels a little tight compared to the wider left.In any case,most excellent image.

Meilleures salutations-Laurent

I think it is a beautiful image. But, I am trying to understand what is in the sky... cannot be stars since it is in front the clouds... is it snow? If so, why does it stop at the skyline? Just wondering...

Regards,
Line

I have same question as Line did,this is something that imo can be real same time with the sunset light on the tree.Main subject,the tree,is excellent with water reflection too,bottom mountains with that bright line and snow on the top create a very nice composition.

Thanks for your comments on this image. There is no trick for this shot: the stars were real, the clouds were real, and light on the tree was not sunset, it came from the right side city light. When the cloud was not thick, star light could penetrate the cloud and showed up.

See my another starry night image here:

http://1x.com/photo/55154/all:user:82189

and this one: the star trails also penetrated the cloud:

http://yanzhangphotography.com/p997160036/h35bb59e2#h35bb59e2

Cheers, Yan

Beautiful shot capturing a calm and peaceful scene. Great job wading out there.

Wonderful!!!http://tinyurl.com/c7l9ck6

I had a look on link you said and the photos are really magic,is very interesting what long exposure can show,sometime I think is a different image(but beautiful)compare with what   eyes can see.My compliments for your work.

Aaaah I see! Superb... Thanks for the reply.

Regards

Line

Hi Yan, my compliments for this gorgeous image, colors, composition, DOF, water, all perfect!!!

Warm regards,

LuDa

Amazing picture.

It is a really fantastic work of art! Excellent composition and lighting! Great vision!

Absolutely fantastic. Congrats.

...going the extra mile (pun intended) to get the shots you get.  This is another example of f16 and be there.  However more impressive is the skill set you have to pull it off from a technical standpoint.  Congrats indeed.