Our today's pick: Waltzing along

Sal, I don't think we have willows in that park. If I remember well as to where I was standing when I took the photo, there is a big sycamore behind me and across the lake there are semi-natural woodlands that include ashes, beeches and oaks. The photo was taken way before autumn when the foliage was green. I tend to shoot most of my photos in low contrast (unless the atmosphere is really hazy), but of course this is something I adjust in RAW file post processing. I think the reflection of the trees upon the lake, coupled with the lowered contrast and highlight slider all the way down, yielded a nice and mellow evening tone to the photo. I find green overall pleasing to the eye as a colour and the "fine oil painting" effect you aptly spotted is a result f lower contrast and highlights. If you don't turn the highlight down, the plummage on the body of the swans will have a very harsh white, which is one of the heaviset hues the human retina can be called to resolve. But this is my opinion, of course. Other viewers might see things differently. As we say: beauty is in the eye of the beholder.