I have photographed this pond in the marsh behind the dunes at Laudholm Farms (Wells National Estuarine Research Center) in all weathers and in all seasons. It is never better than with one of the amazing fall skies of Southern Maine. I watch the weather for fronts coming through from the west, and, if they coincide with a weekend, generally find some landscape to set them off. And, again, there is nothing better to set off a sky like that than a stretch of water to reflect. The pond at Laudholm is perfect.

This is an in-camera HDR, taken with the Canon SX50HS. The Canon has to be very still for the HDR function to work. Unlike some HDR software, the software in the camera has very limited ability to align three imperfectly aligned images. The exposure processing, on the other hand, is spot on! The three images are blended, to my eye, just about perfectly. I took this with the camera propped up on the interpretative sign at the pond. Nice of them to put it there! (I have since invested in an 11 ounce ZipShot tripod that has legs like aluminum tent poles held together with shock cord. It sets up in seconds, is sturdy enough for wide angle to mid-tel shots (with the self-timer), clips to the strap of my camera bag, and is ready for an HDR anywhere.)

Canon SX50HS. Program with auto iContrast and Shadow Fill. 24mm equivalent field of view. f5 @ 1/500th @ ISO 80. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.