Summer Wildflowers at Sparks Lake

I went up to Bend/Sunriver for my first time with the family in July and was able to sneak out to take some pictures. I made 3 trips up to Sparks Lake - the first time it was covered in fog and the second was during the day so ample scouting time! I noticed (also with the 'assist' from Marc Adamus who I had talked with) the wildflowers out on the island about 100 feet across from the shore. I put on the waders and made my way across. That nice clear water is a little deceiving... I thought it would only be a few feet deep, but it went up almost to my chest, so I dangled to camera bag and tripod as high up as I could get. I perched on the end of the island and captured this (it was hard to find a great spot I almost wanted to be in the water).

Thought I would share for critique (my first time posting an image here.)

Thanks,
John

ISO100, f/16, 1/6 second
Nikon D300
Sigma 10-20mm
Hoya slim circular polarizer

(Great tips from the forum on places to shoot. Thanks also to Greg V (got the book and some emails about road closures).

John Harrison www.jharrisonphoto.com twitter.com/jharrisonphoto

wow, this is the first new perspective I have seen in the last couple years.... Great job

I too like this perspective. The frame is full of life and colors....leaves me wanting for more on the sides. Ken S

Awesome John. I like the nice crisp light. I also like to shoot from that little island but I usually kayak over to it so I can stay dry

For me the composition feels a bit 'tight'. I feel like everything is very close to the edges, such as South Sister and the trees. So maybe I would prefer if there was a bit more breathing room and some more of the rock inlcuded in the comp.

Good Work!

KS

John,
First welcome to the forum. Nice first post. I feel it could be cropped different also. My suggestion would be to crop off the rock on the lower left. I know you probably liked the purple flowers on the bottom part. I just feel like the lake and mountain should be the main focal point.

Thanks for the welcome. Great ideas and feedback folks. I figured posting my first image from Sparks Lake of all places is tough to do.

Ken/KS- it is a bit tight. I cropped a little more the second time then I wanted and now want a little more breathing room.

KS- I think I will borrow your kayak next time! Much better idea.

Erik - You knew I was shooting for those purple flowers! I like purple. I will try it also without them. It was a tough call to give some balance to the red and green. I will repost another perspective.

Thanks again for the comments,
John

Very nicely done, John! Much different than the standard shot from Sparks Lake to the Sisters. The purple flowers are beautiful but I tend to agree that the composition works better by cropping them out. I might even crop the bottom few red flowers so the the lower left corner shows green foliage and no bare rock.

Welcome John. This is great image with lots of vibrant color and solid exposure. I would echo what others have mentioned about the composition being a tad too "tight." Looks like there was a really nice sky above the mountain that I want to see more of!

-Bryan

first, great shot
second, the bottom of the lake in the bottom left corner gets a tad distracting.
Maybe some photoshop Magic?
Otherwise well composed
Maybe you should move the cropping up and a little right to put the flowers on the bottom left thirds' corner to put more focus on them and give the mountain some breathing room
good luck
-Erik

Looks contrasty and saturated, which I say as more of an observation (and personal preference) that a nit. Love the comp! Love the color and the perspective. The way you've framed this keeps me focused on the main points of enjoyment, at least for me– the flowers and the mountain. Nice scene, well captured.