Abstract nominee

The Missouri River water level was quite low during the drought of 2012 exposing much of what would never otherwise be seen. As I was perched on a bridge looking for something to photograph, I spotted these two exposed sycamore branches fixed in the riverbed but bobbing up and down to the rhythm of the current. The dead branches had been exposed for several months as they appeared sun bleached against the mucky water. The contrast struck me as I had to have this shot but this was not going to be easy. My D700 fixed with a 200mm zoom made my rig quite heavy atop the tripod. In order to get the shot I had to angle the camera down as if shooting the ground while leaning out over the railing of the bridge. I had to the steady the camera/tripod on two legs while looking through the view finder to compose and expose. Several attempts were made, as the holding steady part proved quite challenging. Good thing Im not afraid of heights for I was several stories above the "Big Muddy". Truth is I was more worried about losing the camera than falling in.