Wonderful clean, crisp mountain scene. I want to sip that cool clear water, and taste that snow. Your edits succeed! The addition of yellow to the trees produces a subtle streak of sunbeams on the trees. This image presents both the beauty of Winter and the promise of Spring. Where is Picture Lake?

  Posted: 01/08/2018 14:29:45

I like seeing the original because I can appreciate the changes you made which enhance this lovely shot. Your sky is a natural blue, the lake is calm and draws me into it. Shadows/structure in the snow are strong, and the trees pull my attention in and around your image. I think your post processing is very well done. In my opinion the grasses, center bottom, do not add to the image. I suggest cropping just where the yellow ends and the green of those grasses begins. I think it gives greater interest to the rest of the image.   Posted: 01/08/2018 17:22:38

Very lovely scene and I love the colors and overall beauty of the place. I wanted to take a bit of a crack at processing. I could see where the sun was hitting, between the mountain and the lake but felt like the attention should have been on the lake instead. So I dodged a burned a bit to darken where the sunlight was reflecting. I also added a bit of contrast, which darkened the sky a wee bit. Last, I added clarity and sharpness to the water to attempt to draw the eye immediately to that area of the image. Last, I agreed with Lisa and cropped a bit off the bottom.   Posted: 01/08/2018 18:18:24

One reason I left the front grasses in, was for a leading line. I felt that if I cropped it, we had a line of green plants that lead the viewers eye out toward the sides. My subject is actually the mountain and snowy banks, as I couldn't get much of the lake.   Posted: 01/09/2018 14:12:10

Carol, you have a wonderful composition with a lot feeling in the landscape story it offers the viewer. I agree with Mikes tonal considerations. They fall in line with what I would do. I agree with your take on the foreground so would change how you framed it. The color harmony is very nice and with a little added punch, it pops out and sings winter and natures beauty.   Posted: 01/09/2018 19:28:51

I have not had a lot of experience photographing snow, but I know it presents some challenges for WB. It looks to me like you have got it just right. The diagonal slopes of the mountain and the green patches from leading lines that take my eye right to the lake. When I look around the edges, I think it might work to crop a little on the right and a little on the bottom - just enough to eliminate the pine that is cut in half and the good foliage that sticks up at the bottom. I like the line of red foliage about a third of the way in but I feel it could be brightened to make it pop. Overall, I think this is a beautiful scene and I like the way you have presented it.   Posted: 01/21/2018 12:18:14

Wonderful image. Love the different tones of green in the trees and grass. The snow has been captured well in the foreground as well as the background mountains. Although I have not experienced winter in 40 plus years I almost have the feeling of wanting to be there (almost). Well done.   Posted: 01/24/2018 15:15:33

As always, I appreciate the comments and observations. Picture Lake is in my backyard....about 1 hour outside of Bellingham, just below Mt. Baker and the much photographed Artists Point. I love going at any time of day, any season--it never looks the same twice.   Posted: 01/24/2018 21:58:29