A sky runs through it
The reflection of a bright blue sky on water among the rocks

A play on words from the title of the 1992 Robert Redford directed movie “A River Runs Through It” but a fitting one in this case when it seemed as if a sky was actually running through it.

A bright day in the water
Reflections upon a still pool

It was one of those perfect cold clear days with deep blue skies and puffy white clouds when you find yourself standing in just the right spot and suddenly sky appears where there was water. Not something planned ahead of time but something stumbled upon and then quickly captured before the angles and light changed.

Those sudden wonderful visual surprises are one of the things which keeps photography fresh for me.

16 Comments

  1. I totally agree with you, Earl. And, I love surprises.

    • Some say they don’t like surprises perhaps because they deem them as being bad, but the term surprise is neutral…it can just as easily be a good one. I like them too, Monte!

  2. You got it all in this one. Beautiful moment, inspired title, and valuable reminder to every photographer. What a perfectly wonderful way to begin a day.

    • Anita, thanks. Wouldn’t it be boring if we always knew everything that was going to happen. ;-)

  3. Well said Earl, and I love that reflection upon a still pool. Fine work.

  4. Very nice, Earl.

  5. I normally don’t like surprises, but this was a pleasant one. Very nice

  6. Amazing how the color blue just makes these images come alive. Nice stuff Earl.

  7. I’m glad you were ready to take a picture when these unusual circumstances occurred. What a beautiful shot.

  8. This indeed works wonderfully for me. It immediately reminded me of one of Alain Briot’s better known images, “Playa Reflections #1” (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/photographic_examples_6_playa_reflections_1.shtml), but I definitely prefer your take on it. I am not sure, could be that I am a “woods” person by socialisation, as there are no sands where I live, but the more probably explanation is that “A sky runs through it” has a certain airiness as well as an effortlessness that I miss in Briot’s image.
    Those surprises for me too are one reason to cherish photography, and I think it works in both ways: We get rewarded through such an image, and those images find us because we train ourselves to open our eyes and mind for them.

    • Markus, I am a “woods” person as well. The good thing about photography is there’s room for things to be similar yet stand apart — some may choose “A” and some “B,” yet there’s also plenty of room for a “C” – “D” – “E”…etc.

      “We get rewarded through such an image, and those images find us because we train ourselves to open our eyes and mind for them.”

      Well said and I completely agree.