Vertical or Horizontal?

Was hiking in the Sangres (Dry Lakes) the other day (man, it was cold and windy) and wasnt really planning on much photography, so i only took my camera with me. But the wildflowers were too nice to pass up, so i took some handheld shots of the lake. Nothing earth-shattering, but am wondering if you think the vert or horiz version works better here? Heres the Horizontal

And heres the veritcal...

Vertical - My eye was drawn to the flowers, then the mountains. My eye wandered around the horizontal. You also took the glare off of the lake in the vertical, which makes a major difference. Nice layered image!

I prefer the vertical as well.

I dig the vertical, but find myself liking the horizontal a bit more. I think the cutting off of the lake on the left in the vertical bothers me a tad, maybe that's it. Either way, killer spot and images!

Sideways, oops, that was a movie I saw last week! Definitely, vertical, with that awesome patch of roshy paintbrush anchoring it.

Another vote for vertical!

Vertical for the same reasons as Dave mentioned.
Very pretty place!

I really like the additional detail (complete lake, snow on the side of the Mt, etc) on the horizontal image, however, I also think that the vertical is better because you are drawn immediately to the flowers.

They both work for me, but the flowers seem to pop out a little more on the vertical so that one get's my vote of the two.

OK, a clear consensus for vetical--thanks! Ive heard verticals usually get more attention, ive always had a preference for landscape format, oh well.

Vertical is my call too, though I'm with you in liking horizontals.

I strongly prefer the horizontal version, because in the vertical one, the lines draw my eye to the edges of the frame. The frame itself is much more dominant in the vertical, which i find distracting.

Even though, proportionally, the vertical does more strongly emphasize the flowers, I think the horizontal version feels a lot more balanced, and keeps my attention inside the frame.

Ver-ti-cal

Vertical gets my vote too, I prefer the lake without the glare, and the flowers are more dominant!.

I like them both but vertical wins by a tad.

I agree with Jack, they're both excellent shots - that being said, count me as one more vote for the vertical due to it's emphasis on those awesome flowers!

Another vote for the vertical, due to the prominance of the flowers.

I like the horizontal, it gives space for the lake and I like seeing the scree field on the right.

Each perspective changes the subject. Horizontal makes it a true landscape shot with the ridge and the lake as the main subjects. Vertical makes the flowers the main subject, with the background as peripheral. I'm leaning towards horizontal, but not by much.

I am usually horizontal but like vertical for this image.

Your nothing-Earth-shattering is most people's idea of a great photograph! I like each for different reasons: the H is a more pleasing overall comp, while the strength of the flowers in the fg of the V is very appealing. On the latter, I could see a nearly square crop.

It depends on what you want the viewer to look at. In the horizontal the mountains and the lake are the main subjects to me, and in the vertical, it's the flowers. Both are really good shots for no tripod.

Thanks, folks, that's very helpful!
Scott--you must be the only person in CO who actually likes scree!

I like the horizontal version for the reasons stated by Nat. Very nice.