Chatting by the water

For those who want to chat quietly by the riverbanks, this is the place!

Hi Muriel,

Congrats on your win with those stunning waterfalls in Laos—we had the chance to visit them when we were... young!

I’ll try to join the new contest, "By the Water’s Edge," but this theme inspires a personal twist on a poem, I think by Lamartine: "Oh time, suspend your flight, oh enemy old age... etc."

Which I’ve turned—every time I discover a lake—into: "Oh Lake, suspend your flight....!!" 🤪 😉

Here’s the illustration, at the Biscarrosse and Parentis ponds, end of May 2025, during an international seaplane gathering... under some pretty gray skies 😕:





Good luck with this new theme! Greetings to all.

Puma2A

By the way, I have a question: Is it absolutely necessary to participate with 3 images, or can we just use 1 or 2?

Thanks Alain! I haven’t been entering the photo contest for long... and I’m not an expert on the rules. In my opinion, no, you don’t have to submit 3 photos. Since the max is 3, it seems to me that 1 or 2 photos are also allowed. More experienced members might have a better take on this.

Posting fewer than 3 photos isn't forbidden.

More on the other hand...😄

Hello,

Thanks to both of you for your replies.

A lovely discovery: Lupins by Lake Allos...



Have a great day.

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Hi Alain

My memories of Lac d'Allos are "a bit" old... but they’ve stayed with me because the place struck me with its serenity (though, that might’ve changed since then 😕).

Just a heads-up: here, we’re talking about discussions, travel photos, extra bits... basically, the ones that aren’t part of the contest. For the entries up for voting, check out this thread 😉

Hi Muriel,

I had the same feeling of serenity when I discovered this lake. But it was on a weekday and at the end of September. I remember it was the day after the parking toll closed. Needless to say, in summer, that "serenity" must be quite different. On the day of our visit, there were maybe 50 vehicles parked (only!). My biggest pleasure was seeing and getting close to marmots (or rather, letting them come to me). Pure bliss.



Thanks for the clarification about the photo spot for the contest. 😏 No worries, I understood. I posted another one of this lake, a different shot, in the "contest" thread. I thought this one was a bit too focused on the flowers and less relevant to the topic...

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Mountain lakes sometimes offer beautiful panoramas 😊

Lac Laramon in the heart of the Clarée Valley



Lac Guichard with a view of the Aiguilles d'Arves



Lac Lérié on the Emparis Plateau

So many beautiful photos already posted on the contest page (and it's not over yet!) ... I can tell the voting is going to be even harder than usual!

Hello,

I was wondering if I could ask Xrctn whether the color of Peyto Lake in Canada was edited or if that turquoise blue is natural? If they happen to pass by here....

If they pass by here... I guess they'll see the question. Otherwise, should we send them a private message?

All these mountain lakes are so beautiful 🙂

I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I often find some photos posted in the discussion more stunning than those entered in the contest (by the same person, of course!) 🤪

All these mountain lakes are so beautiful 🙂

Thanks Muriel 😊

I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I often find some of the photos posted in this thread more beautiful than those posted in the contest (by the same person, of course!) 🤪

Choosing which photo to post is tough. The photographer might feel differently than we do because they have the sentimental connection we don’t—they lived that exact moment when they took the shot.

For example, the photo of Lac Fourchu, posted in the contest, reminds me of an amazing moment: a gorgeous hike with terrible weather, insane wind, and we almost turned back. But for the photos, it was perfect. To me, that photo has more merit than the others posted in the thread because it doesn’t have the same backstory.

I particularly love this one, despite its "high-end postcard" vibe 😉 The composition, the movement, the balance, and the purity of the landscape...

It's true that it's hard to be objective about our own photos. Choosing is tricky because it involves our feelings. But the viewer couldn’t care less!

All these mountain lakes are so beautiful 🙂

I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I often find some of the photos posted in the discussion more stunning than the ones in the contest (by the same person, of course!)

At the same time, when the photo comes from Isabelle, it’s always a guaranteed hit with every post..

For sure, it's (semi) professional... and it's always a pleasure to see these beautiful photos 🙂

And to keep things fair with the contest, I found one for you on the Peruvian side...

I admit, in my photo 2, I hesitated with this one but I thought, too cliché (but isn’t that the point of a photo 😏?)



Anyway, back then, the lake didn’t just attract fishermen

I see you're replying to yourself. Must be exhilarating ;) 😏

You beat me to it, Bruno 😏 I also picked some photos of Inle Lake... but I haven't had time to post them yet!

I see you're replying to yourself. Must be exhilarating

The upside is we’re (often but not always) on the same page 😉

But instead of looking for me (and you’ll end up finding me), don’t you have a travel journal to start? 😉

You beat me to it, Bruno I also picked some photos of Inle Lake... but I haven’t had time to post them yet!

Everyone has their own perspective—it can be really interesting!

But instead of looking for me (and you’ll end up finding me), don’t you have a travel journal to start? [;]

I get that you’re eager, but you see, I’m dealing with jet lag that just won’t quit 😕

But instead of looking for me (and you’ll end up finding me), don’t you have a travel journal to start? 😉

I get that you’re eager, but you see, I’m dealing with jet lag that just won’t quit 😕

What a find! You write at night! Hang in there…

Mauritius, Grand Bassin:

The same, seen from above:

Finally, I'm adding Lake Inle here 😉

but I thought, too cliché

Another one that’s just as cliché (but less acrobatic):

Another one, probably a bit less Instagram-worthy:



And the impressive Nampan market by the lake:

Choosing which photo to post is tough. The photographer might feel differently than we do because they have the sentimental side we don’t,

You’re absolutely right. Actually, when I was hesitating between several photos for the contest, I ended up choosing not the most aesthetic ones but those that remind me of 2 trips deeply etched in my memory (Lesotho and Uganda)

Hi there,

Since I’m new to this photo contest section, I was wondering if there are any criteria to follow for voting? Or do we just vote based on our "feeling" or gut instinct?

Have a great day, Puma2A

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Hello

No set rules here! Everyone has their own criteria and feelings... I’d say the priority is to stay true to the theme.

I’d say the priority is to stay true to the theme.

For the contest, yes, absolutely. For the related discussion, it seems to me (I’m not very experienced in this contest either) that we can deviate slightly ;).

Of course! We can even tell some real whoppers ;) (look at Bruno...)

...

Thanks to both of you.



Lake Sainte-Croix (Dam) not far from Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, at the mouth of the Verdon Gorge.

Puma2A

Hello,

Being new to this photo contest section, I was wondering if there are any criteria to follow for voting?? Or do we vote based on our "feeling" or gut instinct?? Have a great day, Puma2A

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There’s only one absolute rule for the contest votes: 3 points for each contest to one of montagnard74’s photos. Just for my ego.

Of course! We can even tell some real whoppers ;) (ask Bruno...)

See above just in case

Lake Grangent in the Loire Valley. A natural and wild site. Grangent Castle on Grangent Island.

Definitely, Inle Lake is in all the photo libraries! ;)

I think those who’ve been lucky enough to explore this beautiful country hold a certain nostalgia when looking at how it’s changed recently...

Absolutely! It’s one of the few countries where I thought, "we’ll be back"... unfortunately (especially for the Burmese), that probably won’t be the case 🏴‍☠️.

Hello,

- In le Gers, a pond near Le Houga:



- The Lake (dam) of Bort-les-Orgues, with the Château de Val:



- Near the Arcachon Basin, in the ponds of the Réserve du Teich: (mix of fresh and salt water).



Have a great day and weekend to everyone!!

Puma2A

Hi Alain,

I really love the first and last photos in this series—you’ve nailed the reflections! 😊

Hi Agnès,

I was wondering when we'd see some photos of those stunning Andean lagoons! 😉

Here’s one that’s way less spectacular (but also way closer): the Laguna Fuente de Piedra in Andalusia. We missed the hundreds of pink flamingos stopping over by just a few days—only a few stragglers were left 😏.

For those who are interested, I’m sharing an article with photos of Lake Suchitlan completely overrun by green algae in 2025—it’s really striking.

I’ve also included photos from 2024 where you can see just a few algae. A few days earlier, a dredging barge had been brought in to remove the plants (I was shown photos of it), but they spread incredibly fast. I saw even more of them in another spot while taking a bus to a nearby village.

The article: https://fr.news.yahoo.com/immense-lac-au-salvador-ressemble-053005909.html

The 2024 photos: The boats in the first two photos are for tourists (birdwatching).

Here are some more photos of the peaceful Laguna El Jocotal, much less touristy than Lake Suchitlán. The place is beautiful with several volcanoes, but they weren’t very visible that day:

Hello Agnès

I was wondering when we’d see photos of those gorgeous Andean lagoons! 😉

I wanna play Andean lagoon too!😜 Laguna Verde, Sud Lípez, Bolivia

P.S.: no photo editing

The colors of these lagoons are truly magnificent!

I had some other photos of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala—it's more well-known than the previous two and much more touristy:

I don’t have any photos of Lake Titicaca because I was way too sick to take any, so I’ll never have pictures of Andean lagoons 😢

For a change of pace... some animals (old habits die hard 😄) coming to drink from the ponds





or taking a bath

The squirrel’s reflection is gorgeous—looks like a mirror!

I don’t have any photos of Lake Titicaca because I was way too sick to take any, so I’ll never have pictures of Andean lagoons 😢

That totally sounds like altitude sickness. But tell me, why don’t we have a travel journal for this?