The mysterious Inle Lake of Burma's Shan State...

This picture was taken in the early hours of the morning during sunrise in low and difficult lighting conditions, hand-held. It came straight from the camera - I liked the mood and atmosphere conveyed by the image and therefore decided not to post-process it except for some minor sharpening of the reduced-resolution post.

A layer of mist drifted slowly by above the frigid waters of the lake in the freezing morning air, giving the place (and image) its unique atmosphere. Then, a boat loomed slowly into view out of the mist, paddled by an Inca boatman at the stern by their famed single-leg rowing technique; the reflections clearly visible in the still waters of the lake. The passenger standing in the boat, with a blanket wrapped around his whole body to protect himself from the freezing cold, accentuated the mysterious atmosphere of the entire scene.