A pebble makes a ripple on the surface of a pond in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

I woke up at stupid-o-clock to get this shot.  I forget exactly what time it was – maybe 4.30am?  This was the time that my driver picked me up to take me to see sunrise at the famous Angkor Wat temple complex. We arrived and there were already about 50 others grabbing their spots.

Eventually we found a spot with an unrestricted view.  An unrestricted view of  the famous structure covered in swathes of green scaffold – presumably to restore or preserve it.  I started thinking I could remove the scaffold with Photoshop.  Then I figured I would never be bothered to do that.  Also, the thought made me feel somehow…dirty.  I wonder how many others had similar thoughts that morning.

I adjusted my position a little – getting a little lower for some shots of the lilies.  It was then I noticed the reflection had completely blurred the scaffolding – bingo!  I’m sure you can still make out the scaffold if you look hard enough but it was good enough for me!

The surface of the water that morning was like a mirror.  The colours changed as the sun rose but otherwise I was getting the same shot that everyone else there would get.  What to do?

I decided to throw a pebble or two into the pond to see if it would capture well.  I did feel slightly silly doing it and probably messed up a few peoples shots of the mirror like surface (although no one complained).  Thankfully it turned out great and got me a shot that I’m proud of.  Again, I wonder how many others had similar thoughts that morning.