I've been hunting the "soft water" look for awhile now, but I always missed the right light. I found a way to take these sorts of images at any time of the day. This image was taken at 2:30pm at Johnson's Canyon near Banff, Alberta.
I thought, this looks like Johnson's canyon. Certainly better than anything I have shot there. The reflection in the water is eyecatching, and the teal frame complements the image well. A subdued highlight on the cold wet rock to the left might have helped, maybe not. A difficult range of contrasts.
Thanks for the comment Kenneth. I realised that the harsh light was not the most perfect, but I thought it a good chance to try out the double polarisers and see if it would even work. Considering that this was my second attempt at soft water I can now go ahead with overcast days and getting to my locations a bit earlier and know that I will be able to walk away with some good shots. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Using the polarizers as neutral density filters to cut out some light is a great idea. I do it myself sometimes. But, while the use of filters can decrease the light enough for a soft water effect, the bright light nonetheless created harsh contrast for the rest of the shot. The best light to shoot canyons is overcast.