I imagine we all have places in nature that serve as our "go-to" refuge where we can think things through, get away from the busy pace of life, and - well - reflect. I have several in the Moab, UT area where I live and this is my favorite. The right-hand fork of Millcreek Canyon descends from the LaSal Mountains, joins the left fork and slowly winds through the town of Moab on its way to the Colorado River.

One of several entrance points takes me to a slow-moving section of the canyon where the water has channeled the sandstone and drops into small pools at changes in stone layers. The canyon walls rise 300 feet to either side. A 10-minute drive and 20-minute walk down the steep trail led me to the rock-art-lined stream. The rain from a few days earlier cleansed the rock, and there was enough water left in a few potholes to make things interesting.

The reflection was not immediately visible. I dropped my pack and first crouched low, then sat down to see what was possible. I chose to reveal the top of the cliff in the reflection to offer a sense of scale. In this light, the blue light of the shade blended with the red hues of the stone to create the purplish stone color, which complemented the orange tints of the sunlit walls reflecting on the water surface. I tweaked my tripod and lens angle to fill the frame with the beautiful light and water flow.

One of the gifts of this medium is that the attention often required to make our compositions is more of a mind-relief than a strain. The click of the shutter resulted in an "ah" from me, which was repeated when I later made a print.