Water lilies are such a common part of ponds everywhere that most of us give them little thought. Yet, they really are a marvel of natural engineering: a plant rooted to the lake bottom that spreads its face toward the sun–inhabiting the worlds of earth, water, and sky.

Claude Monet legitimized water lilies as a subject for art, and here I continue in that tradition (albeit in a much humbler fashion). This lakeshore, in the deep shade of a late afternoon in autumn, is catching the reflections of orange Sugar Maples brilliantly lit by the sun’s last rays. The rainbow of color is so intense that it now seems unreal. But as I stood in that lake, in my waders, looking through the viewfinder, adrenaline was coursing through my arteries with the thrill of seeing such an intense glimpse of nature’s fierce loveliness.

LOCATION: Ottawa National Forest, Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA

LIMITED EDITION: This photographic print is part of a limited edition printed by photographer Lee Rentz. The edition consists of 250 prints, which includes all sizes and methods of printing.