Awesome shot! It feels like a surreal painting, an image straight out of a painterly dream. This image has so many great elements, and yet: it doesn't feel cluttered or chaotic. Every element is under control.

The composition is very smart: it allows room for both the reflection and the sky and the dividing line between the two (the mountains and trees) sits at a nice resting place. The lines in the reflection on the left and on the right also point straight to the middle of the vortex, so they act as leading lines, leading the eye of the viewer straight to the core of the image.

The pattern of the trees on camera right provide a dynamic rhythm to the picture. Thanks to the reflection in the water, it kind of looks like a sound wave!

The colors are superb as well. It feels like a magical blue hour moment. There are so many wonderful tones of blue in this image!

This image is about 180 single images stacked on top of one another in photoshop. The entire sequence is about 3-4 hours long.

This makes it all the more stunning. It is awe-inspiring how much time and effort it took to make this image come to life.

It takes a photographer's eye to see the potential of this place and previsualize the final image. It takes a creative mind to think about how to put it together. It takes skill to pull it off. This image shows that you are a true artist: you have the photographer's eye, the creative mind, and the skills to create a masterpiece.

Congratulations on the win in the competition!!