Koi and still water
Koi in clear turquoise water, a torii gate standing in a calm lake, pavilions doubled by their reflections.
Water in photographs does two opposite things. It moves, or it holds perfectly still. This set is about both.
Koi swimming in clear turquoise water are all movement: bright shapes sliding past each other, never in the same place twice. Photographing them means waiting for the moment when the pattern of fish feels balanced.
The other images are about stillness. A torii gate and stone lanterns stand in calm water. The Golden Pavilion of Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto sits above its pond, the reflection almost as clear as the building. A red pavilion in Taiwan is mirrored in a mountain lake.
Still water works like a second frame. It doubles the subject, adds symmetry, and asks the viewer to slow down. It also depends on small things: no wind, the right angle, a moment before something breaks the surface.
Photos: engin_akyurt, deltaworks, zitarzheng, pppighil on Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. These are not my photographs.
