entry reflections contest 22 titled: recent ramp reflections

the above photo is my entry. at first glance it appears to be a shadow but in reality it is an unedited monochrome reflection of a metal ramp from land to a floating dock in the harbor. the following images and text give a more complete depiction of the circumstances under which the photo was taken .

here is the ramp with its reflection in color

the stormy sky was rapidly changing yet there was almost no wind. since there was no traffic in this sheltered part of the inner harbor the water was surprisingly unusually smooth. from different angles the reflection of the sky on the water appeared vastly different. in this photo above the mirror like reflection shows the full drama occurring in sky while in the previous photo the water is translucent and the surface slightly reflective giving it a faded waxy shine revealing almost nothing of the celestial spectacle.

in this close-up of the ramp note both the rough edge of the ramp and the reflection of the sky on the water.

here the ramp is partially visible. none of the above photos have been edited but the next ones have been.

the water is shallow and quite clear. at angles where the surface is less reflective and the sky more uniform gray the bottom of the harbor is visible but murky with algae.

zooming in on a section of the reflection the rough edge of the ramp becomes more apparent.

the previous image has been flipped and edited to monochrome. additionally contrast and clarity have been increased

and here the clarity has been further intensified. notice the thin white stripe highlighting the edge of the ramp at the bottom of the image. this is a typical effect when the clarity is increased significantly.

lastly this close-up is taken standing on the ramp looking down through it at the reflection of the sun as it is peering through the clouds. it is not a monochome shot but because the camera is pointed directly at the reflected sun the metal grid of the ramp is rendered a silhouette.