Peaks Sunrise - thoughts? (Updated)

I'm not totally sold on this one. I haven't done much work to it, but, well, I dunno. Maybe I've just been staring at it for too long. Anyways, this is up in Lockett Meadow in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness just outside Flagstaff, Az. We got a great snow during peak colors in early October - pretty rare for these parts.

I like the scene here Kurt. But I might crop to a 4X5 ratio to provide better symmetry in the image.

I have NO idea what you're not seeing in this, because I see a pretty magnificent image. It's got all the elements, great light and mood, cool clouds. Comp is good. Embrace this sucker, it's a nice one!

I like this one too and I bet it even looks better when printed big. I like Mel's suggestion on the crop as it emphasizes the landscape and reflection more and that's the strength of this image.

I agree with Todd: beautiful shot! I'm not so sure about the crop, though a bit off the top might work. But the clouds, the light on the mountains and the reflection are the centers of attention for me, less so the forest. If it were mine, I'd be pretty hesitant to lose much of that sky.

This is easily the best image I've ever seen of the San Francisco Peaks. Gorgeous work in every respect!

I love the fg and clouds, it's quite a pretty scene and nice comp. The only thing im not quite sold on is that the peaks are not very prominent, and unfortunately no crop will solve that.

Start loving this image - NOW!

This is a terrific image!
I can see your quandary though, and I have a couple of ideas that could really help make it pop.

First, I agree with the crop suggestion for the reasons suggested, although we hate to see you lose any of that sky.
Next, adding a shot of Vibrance in the middle areas seems to help.
Finally, a 'local contrast enhancement' (or 'haze remover') using the Unsharp Mask settings:
Amount-20
Radius-50
Threshold-0
..really does wonders here. If you're using ACR in CS4 or Lightroom, then cranking the Clarity slider will do the same.

This is a fine capture, and I think a bit of optimizing will make a lot of difference.

Kurt - This is a tremendous image. I really love the way the foreground reeds mimic the mid-ground trees! Personally, I would crop it to a 4:5 ratio because I like it better than the 2:3 SLR ratio and, I suppose, because the clouds at the very top aren't quite as nice as the ones below them.

But whatever you end up doing with this - it's definitely a keeper.

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments everyone. I feel much better about it now! Something about the overall contrast was bothering me, I think John has a good idea about some LC. As for the crop, I'm hesitant to lose any sky, like Jackson said, because it really 50/50's the image much more than it already is. The web version really does no justice to the detail in the mid-ground forest areas - it does need to be printed big =) Thanks everyone again for all the awesome comments.



Anyway, here's the crop.

I think the crop worked well. I love the way the light plays on the mountain, and the way the clouds drape over it. Great image: very serene and, at the same time, dynamic.

Beautiful scene Kurt. The quality of light is amazing. Doesn't need much work after all.

It seems a bit "cut off" along the right edge - but I'm probably in a small minority with that comment. I appreciate the compositional effort in combining the reeds and the distant light show. I certainly agree with the others, it's definitely a KEEPER.

The re-work is even better than the original. That little bit of extra pop really made a difference. Is this water the little cow pond in the meadow by the road? I'm not asking for any other reason than to try to get a reference of where this image was made.

Hummina, hummina, meow, meow. (See "Get Smart" the movie) I am lovin' this shot.