I made an early morning trip to a quiet lake just west of my Wisconsin home this past week. There was a wonderful sunrise that morning which I was totally enjoying. No one around and it was so very quiet and peaceful. The early morning calls of the Sandhill Cranes broke the silence now and then and I enjoy hearing them.
Any thoughts welcome.
Is this a composite: No
Canon 5D4, Tamron 35-150 F 2.8-4 @ 50mm, ISO 50, F/16, 1.3 sec.
Moments in nature like these are wonderful to experience in person. But they they are sometimes hard to translate to an image. However your processing here with understated colors and contrast has done a great job of capturing the sense of stillness that makes me feel like I am there witnessing this. For my taste, you captured just the right level of shadow detail, and I like how you kept the luminosity glow primarily in the center of the image. Nice work Nick.
Gorgeous – I echo @Ed_McGuirk’s description! One possible nit is that there seems to be a subtle highlight around the tops of the trees on the right, possibly from a brushed-on lightening? If so, a TK mask might separate the tree detail from the sky.
I was going to write what a wonderful end of day shot. Good thing I took the trouble to read your comment and not write that. You certainly captured the color perfectly (and the peacefulness). The blues in the sky are very subtle. Some would make them a bit stronger. This is probably more realistic though.
I agree that this blue, though understated, is very realistic and it feels like I am there in person. I really like this. For me, it’s not easy creating an image like this without a distinctive background (a mountain or something like that) and you have done this successfully. A big win, IMO.
Ed, Diane, Igor and Adhika Lie, Thank you for your thoughts on this. Much appreciated.
Diane, I see what you are referring to but it seems to be natural light. I might need to do a little work there. Thank you. Nick
@Nick_Bristol , I just want to echo the other comments. You really captured the wonder and stillness of this beautiful morning. I can almost hear the Cranes. What a wonderful image to share your wonderful experience!
This shot really captures that “early morning” feeling. 
This is just beautiful. You certainly caught the serenity and quietude of this lake at sunrise.
Mark, Michael and Eva, So glad you enjoyed the picture. It was such a wonderful early morning. Thanks so much!
Nick this is just sublime. I can’t think of anything to change and I love the note about the Sandhill Cranes. They have such a unique call. Peaceful indeed.
David, Thank you! It was such a wonderful early morning and I’m so glad you can feel that too. The Sandhill Cranes surely do have a unique call and I really do like hearing them in the early morning hours. It’s a prehistoric sound and you can feel that it seems.
