Morning Reflections

— Sunrise at Lake Bastrop South Shore park was very memorable this last time I was there. Although we were not on a lake front cabin, being on the other side of the lake proved to be quite impressive. It certainly showed me a different angle and light of familiar scenes. I’ve posted several shots at that park through the years, and each visit still surprises me as I discover new angles and scenes. For example, I have seen the tree in the photo above several times before. However, this morning I was able to work around the light and reflections to capture what you see here. Sunlight was just right on the shore, and tree branches had a golden glow contrasting with the calm blue lake waters. The morning mist had lifted and more detail could be seen.

This tree reflection reminded me of a famous photo in New Zealand that floods social media. There is a lake there, Lake Wanaka, with a lone willow tree emerging from the waters. It is known as the Wanaka tree and is very distinctive. If you do an online search, you can see dozens — maybe hundreds — of photos, with each photographer trying a unique capture. This tree at Lake Bastrop South Shore is not in the lake exactly. Its roots are on the banks of the lake, but some branches extend over to the water creating this beautiful reflection and illusion that the tree is coming from the water. Of course, my photo deliberately omitted the main section of the tree in order to create the illusion I had in mind.