Fishing Reflection by Tisha Clinkenbeard

Captured during a family reunion at Roaring River, Missouri, this image highlights the serene beauty of the river's clear, cool waters. The photographer skillfully utilized the perfect angle of the sun to frame her nephew fishing along the bank, focusing on the pristine surface reflections. By capturing the subject in the water, she created a striking visual illusion that makes the scene appear inverted. This photograph is award-worthy for its clever perspective and the tranquil, painterly quality of the reflection, which transforms a simple family moment into a captivating artistic study of light and symmetry.

Fishing Reflection by Tisha Clinkenbeard
Nikon P90 | Exposure 1/104sec @ f/3.5 | Focal Length 5.9mm
Copyright Β© Tisha Clinkenbeard
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Tisha Clinkenbeard

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Based in Powderly, Texas, Tisha Clinkenbeard has cultivated a career defined by a lifelong passion for capturing the world's hidden details. Her work has been showcased in prestigious venues such as The Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs and the Black Box Gallery in Portland. Driven by a desire to share her discoveries through her blog, Found Round & About, she continues to document her travels and observations with a keen eye for the artistic potential in everyday life.

Profile View Full Profile
11.3/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
96/500
SHARE
SUBMISSION
Award Reach | Reviews
17,519 views | 6 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date July 10, 2014
66.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 13.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 17.0
Style 12.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
Roaring River, Missouri, The United States

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Artistic Photography
Tisha Clinkenbeard Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (11.0/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,980/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
17,519/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
1.0/5 points
96/500 Submission
Jury Score: 66.0/80
Resonance Score: 11.0/20
Total Award Score: 77.0/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 6

Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Most entries in this category rely on heavy post-processing to force a painterly effect, but Tisha’s work earns its place through pure observation. By aligning the boy’s silhouette with his reflection, she’s turned a mundane riverbank into a Rorschach test of light. It’s rare to see such clean symmetry without it feeling clinical. I’ll admit, the stillness here actually made me catch my breath. In thirty years, this quiet, inverted geometry will still feel perfectly balanced.
James Rokeby Camera Craft & Technical Execution Expert Review
1/104sec at f/3.5, 5.9mm focal length. The Nikon P90’s small sensor struggles here; the noise floor is visible in the shadows. Using f/3.5 at such a wide focal length creates a deep focus that renders the reflection and the bank with equal, flat intensity. It’s technically lazy, yet the symmetry is undeniably sharp. I’ve spent years hating these bridge cameras, but I’ll admit, the geometry here actually works. It’s a clean, cold calculation.
Amara Diallo Portrait, Human Story & Narrative Portraiture Expert Review
We look at this boy by the Roaring River and we aren't just seeing a reflection; we’re seeing a quiet conversation between a child and the water. He’s waiting, listening to the current before the line even tightens. It’s a gentle, inverted world where the surface holds his patience. I find myself holding my breath, too. It’s a photograph that asks to be returned to, reminding us that the best stories start in the silence.
Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
The water’s surface doesn’t just reflect; it demands a reckoning with the void. By inverting the boy, Clinkenbeard forces us to confront the instability of our own existence. I’ve spent hours staring at these ripples, feeling a strange, cold vertigo. It’s not a simple family memory, but a haunting duality. When the light hits the river, it reveals that we are merely ghosts haunting our own shadows. It’s a beautiful, unsettling act of erasure.
Lena Brandstrom Macro Photography, Optics & the Science of the Seen Expert Review
At f/3.5, the Nikon P90’s small sensor struggles with the diffraction limit, yet here, the water’s surface acts as a perfect beam splitter. The focal plane dances between the ripples and the inverted silhouette, creating a surreal symmetry that’s physically disorienting. I’m genuinely moved by how the chromatic aberration at the edges softens the light into a painterly haze. It’s a rare moment where the optics don't just record reality; they elegantly dissolve it.
Yusuf Al-Hamdan Landscape, Light as Presence & the Spiritual Dimension Expert Review
The river’s surface is a mirror waiting for the right breath. She stood there, watching the water settle until the boy and his reflection became one singular, inverted grace. It’s a quiet miracle of symmetry. I’ve spent hours by such banks, and I can almost feel the cool dampness rising against her skin. It’s rare to find a moment where the light stops rushing and simply listens to the land. I find myself wanting to step inside.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Sven Lindqvist

The Surface of Memory

Water is a mirror that does not lie, though it often forgets. We stand at the edge, looking down, expecting to find ourselves. Instead, we find a version of the world that is softer, more fluid, and entirely beyond our reach.

Read the reflection →
By Priya Kapoor

The Weight of Still Water

The smell of wet river stones always brings me back to the feeling of cold mud between my toes. It is a sharp, metallic scent, like iron filings mixed with crushed mint.

Read the reflection →

Reviews & Comments

Share your thoughts about this award-winning photograph. Your reviews contribute to the community engagement score.

6 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subhashish Nag ChoudhurySubhashish Nag Choudhury - Photography, Photographer, Photojournalism, Art Photography, Award-Winning PhotographerLeonardo Teles - Art Photography, Photojournalism, Photography Awards, Leonardo Teles, Light & CompositionLeonardo Teles