Emerald Water at Roadside

This tiny pond is found in the Yoho National Park, literally a few yards from the side of the Trans-Canada highway. Next to the pond is a rest stop, which provides access to the pond, along with picnic tables and outhouses.

What I liked about this spot is the color of the water, which had a distinct emerald color, while staying completely transparent (unlike emerald lake, which is choked full of minerals, and opaque).

In this image, I used a strong split neutral density filter to darken the sky and mountains, while managing to retain the brightness of the pond in the foreground. A polarizer was used to reduce reflection.

If you look closely at this image, you will notice three crosses on the other side of the lake, which is next to the highway. Unfortunately it looks like someone had a nasty car accident here, killing three people at this beautiful spot.