I'm not sure which photo I prefer. When the sun is coming up you only have a few seconds to shoot and hope for the best. The lighting and colours change so quickly. Once the sun gets above the horizon the colours become more dramatic, but I think I prefer the more subtle shades. It's a new reservoir north of Lampang and it's only been opened a few years.

This was about 5 minutes before the sun started making an appearance.

This is the real reason why we get up before dawn.

And the only sound is birds in the forest singing. Occasionally we get other glimpses of nature like this whole flock of swallows resting in a tree.

Well, I am certainly not a trained photographer....just a person who enjoys looking at photos. To me, the most visually appealing photo is the first one, in which the sun is just starting to peek out from behind the mountains. The second one seems a little too bright, and the third one, a little too muted. But I couldn't stop staring at the first one.

For me its the second one. The second evokes all the power of an exploding sun scorch the earth for all eternity. Well at least for me

I have never picked up a camera seriously in my life, just wondering, how much does a camera that can take that kind of picture cost and how many hours or practice is needed?

Both really nice photos ... but for me it's the first. The more subtle lighting and the delicate reflections beats the brighter sun and reflections.

The first shot has a romantic, peaceful atmosphere that makes it special.

I also like the added details of the stick in the water in the first.

What camera did you use?

What camera did you use?

In the EXIF data of the photo > Camera Model = NIKON D200

I prefer the top one.

I like the first one. Maybe photoshopping the stick in the water

I like the first one. Maybe photoshopping the stick in the water

I thought about taking out the stick and it's not very hard to do. Thanks for the replies. I also prefer the first picture, but it sure shows how dramatically things change in only seconds. I never really know what I've got until I can down load the picture onto my computer, later. And, having my partner working the motor while casting for jungle perch sometimes rocks the boat enough to get a bad angle.

For me the third one

First one.

The stick is a good counterbalance to the point of interest which is the sun, and it has the nicest shoreline.

The second one is fine just not as good.

The third one is muddy and needs a little help in the levels department.

The third one is muddy and needs a little help in the levels department.

Good touch up, canuckamuck. It shows the value of playing around with Photoshop. I just posted the pictures as they came out of the camera.

Another vote for the first one, and I like the stick!