Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Munising, Michigan

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Description:A beautiful late fall day along Pictured Rocks. Taken while on a day trip kayaking along the rocks. The formation is called ‘Lover’s Leap’.

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Pertinent technical details or techniques: I shot this from a kayak so it was not the most stable. It was near midday so the sky was very bright. I took the shot in portrait mode because I liked the way the lines in the water led to cliffs. 18mm 1/100sec f11 ISO100. Processed with Lightroom. I increased the exposure and added some vibrance. I masked the sky and brought down the exposure because it was fairly washed out.

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Cameron,

Excellent image. Great job especially given captured from the kayak! You managed the to position the arch perfectly to line up with the far cliffs - which is an important part, I think. If any part of that opening merged the image would have less impact.

The second thing is that I really like the low viewpoiont and inclusion of the reflections, colors and patterns in the water. From a viewer’s perspective, I thought you might have been chest-deep in the water - and that made me feel cold!

Thanks for sharing!

Lon

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Thanks Lon. I worked to get that arch set up just right. That is a nice thing about a kayak, it lets you get shots very close to the water. The sky was so bright and washed out I really though the water was the more interesting character.

I meant to comment on this when I first saw it, but spaced. Great job lining everything up - the boat moves so much and so fast that you have to be patient and get everything set up in camera ahead of time. One of these days I’ll do a kayak tour up that way. Funny how the rocks steal the show around Superior. Every time I go up there, that’s what it’s about, almost never the water.

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This is a very strong image, Cameron. Everything is positioned well in the frame. I like the low angle too. Well done!

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Pictured Rocks especially. I’d recommend one of the kayak trips, it’s a great way to see the formations up close. I love Lake Superior but I feel that it’s a challenge to find a good focal point to latch on to sometimes, and if there is one it’s usually rocks.

Thank you David!

From my experience shooting landscapes from the water (and mostly failing thus far), you must have been holding the camera really very close to the water. It’s a good thing, for your camera, that the water is so calm… :wink: The composition is strong, leading the eye from the ghostly, very dynamic patterns on the water straight through the arch and then into the far distance, and the details and colours of the cliffs are very interesting. Interesting , too, to observe the clear line on the right where the white cloudy sky is reflected in the water. My eye goes from exploring there to the coastline in the distance, adding a great sense of open space to the image. A nice shot!

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Thanks for the very well thought out comments Laura. I took this from a kayak and was getting the camera down and very close so you are right on. The cliffs here are amazing but i was really enjoying the way the water was so green in the reflection.

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