new image
http://gallery.mudpuddle.co.nz/kansas15/0051_G
updated used to be WC: 113 entry (now that it’s closed)
http://gallery.mudpuddle.co.nz/kansas15/0050_G
About the new image you won’t find in the caption, I used a distorted noise texture to give the look of fake caustics. 
that would be nice if there was a bit of deep in this water don’t you think. try to give some refraction. so it’s not mercure but water.
Actually, I did give it refraction, it just looks shallow because of the bending of the light.
Well, this is the first picture I’ve brought myself to comment on and I guess you could take that as good or bad, either one.
Unfortunately, (and I feel bad about doing this, since I hate when it happens to me) I feel the need to shred your pic to shreds with my criticism.
The first thing I found wrong with this picture was that the grass is very uniform on the far hill.
The texture on the slide looks stretched and you can see some edges on it near the camera.
Although it may be realistic, something doesn’t quite strike me as right about the reflections on the water, you may want to tweak it a bit.
Also (and I’m not sure if this was intentional or not) the bushes don’t really look real at all…
But, besides all that, I actually like this picture very much, it has a good atmosphere to it.
Plus, I really shouldn’t complain anyway, considering the fact that I can’t do grass at all, heh.
I was going to do particles for the grass but the new particle system was slow like no tommorow. I did however try to create some randomness by selecting the object for the dupliverts subdiving it very dense then randomly deleting some of the verticies.
Endsdawn, thanks, I may consider creating a new material index for the slide’s sides and the bushes is just how I do them, it gives quick and desirable results.
About the bushes, I actually liked them they just didn’t strike me as real, but, since you say the way they look was intentional, I like them quite a bit, they add to the feel of the picture.
Replaced with a real slight update, changed a little the texture on the sides so it looks better using a new material index to not affect the other textures and made a better patch for the distant hill though not problem free.
ok, have you ever been on a waterslide that was 1’ thick?
and also, the water is still…not very common on a waterslide.
and if the picture is supposed to make sense, then why is there another waterslide the same color, just above the main one, yet it is leading a totally different way. if they are connected, then the waterslide is descending way too slowly.
It’s all one waterslide, it’s just that parts of it is hidden behind the bushes. And I made it that way assuming there were some drops before hand and about the still water, the picture’s not an animation.
Well, the grass is certianly looking better although it still looks a tiny bit uniform at the base of that little hill.
Also, about the scale, I saw it really was quite a bit off, to show scale I decided to recently put a tube in the slide and when I got it to fit the water it looked pretty tiny, so the next render will have the tube in it larger then how it started with the water level raised a notch to imrpove sence of scale.
Okay, got the newest version up with the inner tube and higher water level.