Picture This

Our Picture This! assignment this month is “A River Runs Through It,” where we asked readers to submit images of the cities of the world where rivers played an important role in the founding of the city and continue to serve as both working and recreational centers of activity. As we looked through the hundreds of images we received we felt like we were taking a trip around the world; images came in from the four corners of the globe. Many readers used the reflective quality of the river to show off the city in its best light, and quite a few worked at night to bring us a magical view of their chosen locale. Color, composition, and exposure all played a role in our final selection, and choosing from among all the great shots was not an easy task.

The River Thames

Debbie Bice brought all the iconic elements of London into one shot looking down the river toward the London Eye, Parliament, and Big Ben. She photographed with a Nikon D70 and an 18-200mm VR lens; exposure was f/8 at 1.6 seconds, handheld utilizing VR. © 2009, Debbie Bice, All Rights Reserved

Floating Market

This market scene takes place downriver near Bangkok, Thailand. Vincent Weber worked with a Nikon D80 and a Nikkor 18-55mm AF-S lens; exposure was f/10 at 1/250 sec. © 2009, Vincent Weber, All Rights Reserved

Morning Reflections

Jeffrey Stoner made this photograph of the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with a Canon EOS 20D with an exposure of f/8 at 1⁄50 sec. © 2009, Jeffrey Stoner, All Rights Reserved

Vltava River

The glorious city of Prague is defined by the Vltava River and Wick Mallory captured both the architecture and vitality of the city with this shot with an Olympus EVOLT E-500 and a 14-45mm Zuiko lens. Exposure was f/11 at 1/125 sec. © 2009, Wick Mallory, All Rights Reserved

The Charles River

The Boston skyline reflected in the Charles River is captured in a six-shot panorama by James P. Budrakey, Jr. with a Canon EOS 40D and a Tamron 18-250mm lens. Shot at 5am, the exposure was f/8 at 1⁄3 sec with the camera mounted on a Gitzo 2540 Leveler tripod. © 2009, James P. Budrakey, Jr., All Rights Reserved

Cumberland River

Karl J. Klein made this stunning photo of the Cumberland River as it winds its way through Nashville, Tennessee, with a Nikon D90 and an 18-200mm Nikkor lens. He made multiple shots with the camera atop a Gitzo tripod with an ARCA-SWISS ball head and combined them using Photomatix software. © 2009, Karl J. Klein, All Rights Reserved

Genesee River

Noting that the Genesee is one of the few rivers in the Northern Hemisphere to run north, Don Menges made this shot of High Falls in Rochester, New York, with a Nikon D200 and a Tamron 17-50mm lens. His exposures included five bracketed images that were combined in Photomatix Pro software. © 2009, Don Menges, All Rights Reserved

Hooglie River

Charles Sabin wrote that this photo is of “the faithful of Kolkata, India, bathing at the Zenana Ghat in the Hooglie River, a major tributary of the Ganges.” He worked with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and a Sigma 18-50mm lens. © 2009, Charles Sabin, All Rights Reserved

Foggy Morning

Photographed in Amsterdam, this depicts the Keizersgracht (canal) as it runs into the Amstel River. Robert K. Bailey used a Nikon F and exposed on Kodacolor 200 film. © 2009, Robert K. Bailey, All Rights Reserved

Chicago River

This night shot was made by Sue Vruno of the Chicago River with a view toward downtown Chicago. Exposure on a Nikon D80 was f/11 at 4.6 seconds at ISO 320. © 2009, Sue Vruno, All Rights Reserved

Tiber River

This classic Roman scene of the Tiber River was made by Paul Wilson with a Canon PowerShot G9 with an exposure of f/5.6 at 1/125 sec. © 2009, Paul Wilson, All Rights Reserved

Moody Light

Mara Zaslove caught the atmosphere and light in Cesky Krumlov, Austria, with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and a 28-300mm lens. © 2009, Mara Zaslove, All Rights Reserved

Raritan River

This afternoon shot of the New Jersey river as it runs by the Mill Museum in Clinton, New Jersey, was photographed by Ronald Geswaldo with a Nikon D80 and a Nikkor 18-200mm lens. © 2009, Ronald Geswaldo, All Rights Reserved

Schuylkill River

A subtle quality of light informs this shot of the Schuylkill in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The photo by Albert Alexander was made with a Nikon D300 and a Tamron 11-18mm lens with an exposure of f/4.5 at 1⁄20 sec. © 2009, Albert Alexander, All Rights Reserved

East River

Paul Scharff caught this peaceful moment while commuting to work on New York’s East River. Exposure with a Canon PowerShot S2 IS was f/3.5 at 1/500 sec. © 2009, Paul Scharff, All Rights Reserved