Tom McCreary, APSA, MPSA
December 2025 - Horseshoe Lake Reflections
About the Image(s)
I took this image a couple of weeks ago in far Southern Illinois at Horseshoe Lake which is a wildlife management area. The lake was formed by a change in the path of the Mississippi River. The area looks like a cypress swamp that you would see in Louisiana. I went there because I thought that the foliage would be good, but the cypress leave had already turned and mostly fallen. I did not see any wildlife either. It was a calm morning and so the lake surface was mostly smooth with just a few ripples. I liked the reflections that were formed, and included only the lower part of the trees and plants. I took the image with my Olympus camera and 14-150mm lens at 39mm, 1/250th second and ISO 200.
3 comments posted
Tom - this image is not only interesting, it's flat out gorgeous. I did some selective dodging and burning,added tonal contrast throughout and a slight vignette and sky filter in the Nik Suite - this is so good you might consider a catchier title, something like, "Reflections in the Abstract" - one of your best, nice job! Posted: 12/12/2025 03:42:46
Thank you for the positive comment. Your editing helped the image. Posted: 12/13/2025 18:51:31
The reflection has got some 'impressionism' style. The editing done by Butch is fine. I would have tried to do an image with only the reflection of the trees in the water. Posted: 12/15/2025 12:59:39