The upper story in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is very dense in most places. As a result, streams and deep valleys are often shaded, even when bright sun falls on the tree tops above. This photo was made on just such a day in early autumn. The birch and beech leaves high above the stream bed had begun to don their autumn coats of yellow, but other deciduous species were still cloaked primarily in green; both were brightly back lit by a bright afternoon sun. The low light conditions at stream level required a long exposure which served to emphasize the reflection of the colors above, especially in the stretches of smooth water in Lynn Camp Prong below.