Rattlesnake Wilderness

I am hoping to get some feedback on this image. I took it in September, '08 in the Rattlesnake wilderness area north of Missoula, Montana, one of my first shots with a digital camera. I recently went back and reprocessed the image, and am a bit on the fence about it, mostly because I know I can do better. I am hoping to get back up here this winter before all the snow is gone, those lakes would really pop surrounded by white! I used a 2stop GND, and brought the exposure on the trees on the right back almost a full stop in post. Compositionally I was rushing around, I got to this peak right as the colors were changing. Anyways, does this image work for you? Any and all comments and suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks!

Canon 40d, 17-40 @ 17mm, ISO 100, f/22, 1 second

I love the blue lakes and it definitely is a great spot but the blue/orange color cast on the right is a little distracting. I'm guessing it's an artifact of post processing. Definitely a place to go back to, especially in winter!

Yeah, I think you might take the exposure back down about halfway in that area that Aleksandra noted. Not much in the way of a 'free lunch' when it comes to severely underexposed areas.

Cropping all but a half inch of the sky might be an asset, too.
Otherwise, this looks pretty good to me. I like the turquoise color of the lakes.

Great color on the lakes.
I think the composition would be improved by leaving a bit more space on the left.
Right now, the lake margin looks a bit crowded, almost on the edge, and it wouldn't hurt the right side to lose a bit.

Lovely venue Greg.
The image certainly works for me.
I agree with Aleks and John, let the background trees go dark again then crop in from the right and from the top to lessen the sky. It isn't adding that much to the image, the focal point of which is really those lakes.

You've got some good color contrasts going on here with the warm mountain tops and cool pools. Nice

Nice place, Greg! It's good to see some northern Rockies work here. I like the way the big lakes and the blue patch on the right form a rhythm and create a pretty strong diagonal flow. And the rhythm of the three sunlit peaks complements it. But it needs something at the top. The strip of sky is just too flat, though I don't find that cropping it helps much. You're lucky to have this place in your neighborhood, though. Keep going back, it'll come together.

Man, what a sweet spot! I could definitely see myself camping down by those lakes.

The scene has tons of potential, but I agree with your own assessment that the image isn't quite there yet. You're looking north-northwest here?

Depends on the time of year and topography, but based on the shadows, I'm guessing the alpenglow will usually fade before the sky ever gets very interesting. I'd hope for some interesting clouds to reflect warm light on the land and make the sky more compelling. Also, a darker sky later into sunset will even out the exposure a little better, or you can use more GND. In this version, I'm having trouble with how much brighter the sky is. I know it's natural, but it doesn't do the image any favors. Did you make any shots later into sunset, when the sky would have shown some color?

Definitely looking forward to seeing more from here!

I agree with the other comments. And think it lacks a little punch from the lack of contrast maybe. The color of those lakes is amazing. You definitely need to go back for a better sky and light.