In this first of a five image series, you are peering at a fragment of the river that separates Minnesota from Wisconsin. A remnant of an ancient ice-age, this river divides forested cliffs that offer clues about a wilderness that is all but gone.

Taken around 6:20 a.m., I hiked down to the edge of the river and waited for the predawn light to strike the eastern shore. I stabilized the legs of my tripod in the river to position the camera and lens at water level. With the camera set to ISO 50 (L on the Canon 5D Mark iii) and an aperture of f/16, I was able to use a long exposure to blur the water and smooth the reflection.