Dawn at Lake Luxembourg

[Marc_McCann]

Summer lakeside photographs at dawn are my favorites. The peaceful scene, the calm water, a clear sky (hopefully) are intoxicating. Those shots make that 2:30 am wake up worth it! I have a question about composition, however. In the past, I would only include the water and horizon for a minimalist look. With photographic maturity, I now include something in the foreground- in this case these reeds. There are many lakes in this area, but choices for a foreground object are limited to small rocks, tall plants, and shore logs. Does this work? Any suggestions are appreciated!

What technical feedback would you like if any?

Any

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Any, especially on composition

Any pertinent technical details:

Nikon D810, 12-24 f/4 lens, 17mm @ f16 for 1.6 seconds, ND grad with polarizer

You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.

[Harley_Goldman]

Beautiful scene and I love the kind of high-key, understated colors. The foreground grasses don’t particularly work for me, but I feel that is a bias of mine. It very much comes down to a personal and artistic preference. I still think the image works great, though. Great sky and great reflection. Real nice work.

That must be a big grad/polarizer. I have that lens and it is bulbous.

[Ronald_Murphy]

The grasses are okay with me, but I do wonder what it would look like without. I’m thinking pretty nice. I like the mist at the far shoreline.

[Igor_Doncov]

The clipped composition of grass doesn’t work for me. The comp would be stronger without the grass in this case.