Autumn Ox-bow

Taken in Dipton woods, Co. Durham near Hamsterly Hall, I was attracted by the obvious colour impact in the autumn leaves. An oxbow lake is formed as a river meanders across a flood plain, the outer bends are gradually eroded and the water channel deepens; as the loops widen, the neck of the loop narrows and finally gives way, allowing the water to flow in a more direct route, isolating the old water channel and forming an oxbow lake.

I used a polarising filter on the lens to really saturate the colour in the leaves and increase the reflections in the water. This added some contrast to the image by introducing deep blue in the sky.