Click here to buy a print of this photoStar trails, single-shot, exposure: 34 minutes, taken by the shores of Lake Cheserys, Aiguilles Rouges, France.
From here you can see the north face of the Mont Blanc massif.
On the right is perfectly visible the Aiguille du Midi lit up for the night.
Like all nights the beautiful alpine lake was alternating phases of complete water stillness with other rippled moments.
So, the reflection in the lake is just the average resultant of this long period of time... a sort of ghost

I've also taken a much shorter shot, just 30 seconds, in a moment of complete stillness, with no wind, etc... and there the mirror reflection was just perfect.
Anyhow, in my opinion, this common urge to get "the perfect reflection" in the water is a "disease which passes in time"

Landscape photography is such a wide field, thus leading to discovery infinite shades and endless different ways to see and read a landscape.
Please have a look at the feature and comment on or fave it. Wish you a very happy new year!