wow, what a fantastic shot...excellent!

Actually I instantly thought of the bone flinging scene from 2001, maybe in postwork you could copy the texture to the reflected wood and remove the water edge ? just a suggestion, great capture Kort ! ~Cheers~

What a shot! That's an incredible image.

G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S! ... dumb in front of his chef d'oeuvre!

Look like "Nessie" showing it's head from the Loch Ness ............Great work Kort !

very impressive shot ! very clean ! ... so .. i think the piece of wood could appear more... 3D like you know .. i don't know how to explain it in english :o( .. great pic !

Hrmmm, I think I understand what you are trying to say. Perhaps if I had used a shallower DOF and focused just at the tip of the wood. Thanks!

Well, I'm not sure how it could have been better... sorta looks like it's poking out of the sky at us. So, I've just gotta risk saying...gulp...Terrific shot!!

A fascinating nature photography with a fabulous reflection of the sky on the water surface! I'm not sure whether it is a postworked photography! If yes the the reflection of the old wood might be a little to strong resp. to sharp and dark! The partial light on top of the wood looks fantastic which gives this shot a wonderful light contrast!!!

The only postwork was to enhance the colors, detail and contrast, to remove some debris in the water, and to add the frame and signature

i can feel a period of looking in ponds coming on ....... :)

Very nicely done!

I like it very much..nicely seen and captured..unique image..

That part thats underwater has a little smile face and its own character. Reminds me of that song "The Shadow of your Smile". Aloha

Great feeling of space and depth. Super photo.

Looks like some alien critter :o) love the quote and neato image Kort !!!

awesome. I love the compo and the reflection makes it very interesting.

if ibe honest, i like it the way it is.

Absolutely excellent!

I certainloy can't think of any constructive critique!!! It's perfect as it is!!!

Gorgeous capture!!! Fantastic colors, mood and reflection!!!

Well, my first impression was that this was a shot that you took of someone throwing a stick in the air (for a dog to play fetch with perhaps!!) That's how good the reflection is!! Super shot and although I'm unable to comment on such things as lighting and shadows in a truly technical sense, I can say that I just adore them the way they are - I'm hard pushed to find anything that you could have done to improve on this shot. Top dollar Kort. xx

I like it this way to Kort! It has some 3D feeling to is, maybe because of the contrast in the front and it goes to darker in the back! Really impressive my friend. Have a wonderful day Sir :) JOE

Very nice.. this reminds me of your goose in water where you can't quite see where the sky ends and the shore begins. Very elusive. Nice water play, "jerry".

excellent ....

Very nice shot- I do not yet have enough experience to comment on any technical aspect of the photo or offer any suggestions with the camera- but this shot is very nice, clear, aesthetically pleasing and partially an optical illusion. Perhaps given a similar situation in the future, it would be interesting to capture the still water, then tap it with your finger to create waves and shoot that as well to compare the water texture.

are you saying you used a flash? (plus it is hard to crit without the exif ;)) The top of the stick looks slightly overexposed (tho could be my screen - although i swear i've calibrated it right). One thing you could do in post is take out the dust which seems to be on the water's surface top right and bottom right are most prominent...or is it sensor dust? =S As for the pov i think you nailed it, any further and the shadow/reflection of the stick would be too small, and more the other way it wouldnt have the asymmetric quality it has now :) Maybe also have a look at cropping a little from the top left - just a hunch - i havent done it ;) Those little things aside, i think it is cool shot, and makes the viewer think about it. Plus the minimal quality of it is right up my street ;)

I have to agree with inshaala, the tip of the stick does appear to be overexposed. Also, did you insert a second shadow? Cuz I see what looks to be the original shadow off to the right, and the one coming towards us is just purely black - something that's nearly impossible to find in nature. Even if you did add it though, it's still a wonderful shot and I'm amazed with the clairity of focus you got from the reflection. Stunning

This is outstanding!!!

@inshaala & StandsInAwe - The tip of the stick (or stump) was the brightest part and catching the light so was the most at risk of overexposure. It was very close but I think I was able to retain the detail in it - at least I see some on my monitor. No flash was used. I probably could have cleaned the water's surface up a bit more but the spots I left didn't bother me. I tried cropping, but I the loss of the clouds negated any compositional gain. There is only one shadow, the one going off to the right. The dark one in the front is the reflection of the stick, and it is not pure black on my screen. To give you a better idea, I was about 8-10 feet up in the air when taking this, the wood sticking out of the water at least 4 feet. Thanks for the feedback, it is appreicated. I'll have to try tapping the water next time, heheh! :)