A Cabbage Palm Puzzle

Cabbage Palm reflected in pond - Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
Cabbage Palm reflected in pond - Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

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Yes, this is a photograph.

No, it is not photoshopped.

In fact, the digital editing of this photo was quite minimal. Using Adobe Lightroom, I cropped it, modestly increased its saturation, and — this is a clue to the photo's secret — flipped it vertically.

As you may have guessed, this is an inverted photo of a cabbage palm's reflection in a small pond. A complex pattern of ripples from several swimming ducks produced the brushstroke-like texture. A neutral-density filter was used to slow the exposure to 1/4 second, which caused the ripples to blur slightly, giving an effect similar to a pastel drawing.