Watery Reflections

The August A. Busch Conservation Nature Center is located just a short drive from Lake Saint Louis in St. Charles, Missouri. The nature center is home to many lakes, wetlands, trees, wildflowers, and wildlife – barely removed from an urban setting.

I chose for this post to show a couple of photos that were not what I went looking for when I first visited the nature center.

This first reminds me of a somewhat abstract water painting – the water in the lake was disturbed by light winds, and the reflections of the trees in the water seem to shake and shimmer. This feeling is enhanced by not including the trees themselves in the picture, leaving only the reflection.

Fish in a Pond

This next picture is also different in nature from my standard landscape-type photograph.

As I was standing next to the water’s edge, I noticed these small fish swimming through the rocks in the bottom of the pond. The water was very clear, so I was able to capture the fish in their natural habitat.

Taken in mid-afternoon, there was plenty of light, so I didn’t need a tripod or a slow shutter speed. This photo was taken at f/11 for 1/100 second (ISO 200), using my Tamron 28-300 mm lens fully extended.

I expect to visit the nature center often over the next few months, watching it change from summer to fall to winter. And as I do, I’ll share the pictures here.