Well, today was the first snow storm of the fall (or at least the first one I saw).  This is one of those somewhat depressing signs that the year is coming to an end, maybe because I still mentally feel winter should start after Thanksgiving.

So, when things aren't exactly the way I want them to be, it is time to discuss photos.

There are many aspects and effects you can achieve when photographing water.  One of the ones that I find is the hardest to capture and is one the most interesting ones to see has to do with the way water can distort items below the surface.  Here are a couple of examples:

On the Rocks

This first image doesn't show a lot of distortion.  What can be seen is the way the sunlight shone through the ripples on the surface to illuminate the rocks below.  This needs a fast shutter, otherwise the surface movement that causes the ripples leads to blurring (or at least negates the effect).

Ripples

This second image shows the kinds of distortion that can result if there is a bit more movement in the water.  This was captured at the MN Landscape Arboretum in the pool in front of the Wonderment statue.  It shows the marble surface being distorted by the pool bubbling (which in the only time I've seen this, normally pool is still and good for shooting reflections).  I really like the way the ripples are no longer concentric, how the pool bottom is virtually unrecognizable, but it has an interestingly abstract result.