Mirror Mirror

This is a third cloudless sky image from Mt. Rainier; @Steve_Kennedy, Don, and I wandered here a little later the same morning as my prior image. I’ll post a fourth below, taken right after a short distance away, for comparison. I would have loved some puffy white clouds, but on the other hand I like the deep blue of the reflection; the image below doesn’t have that.

I really like the compositions from this location, and hope to return. I’m not sure I’ll post this on my website; if I’m honest with myself I’d probably replace it if I caught one with a better sky.

FUJIFILM X-T30
FUJIFILM XF 10-24mm F4 at 15.9 mm (24 mm equivalent)
1/125 sec. at f/4.5 and ISO 160 (eight images blended for DOF)
1/1000 sec. at f/4.5 and ISO 160 (1 image taken at 9:07 p.m. for DR)

Here’s the second image for comparison, sans reflection. Since I didn’t have to worry about its effect on the reflection, I used Lens Correction pm this one and so the mountain is taller; it’s more like what the mountain looks like when you are there.

I like your composition in the reflection image. You’ve emphasised the foreground which works well for me as is the transition from dark to light. And its sharp throughout.

Hi John! This came out really well! I like the first shot best. It would have been better with a few puffy clouds but this works just fine IMHO. It makes me wish I would have climbed down there with you.

Like them both, John. Fine compositions and two different images the first about the mountain; the second about the ground cover/color. I usually like some cloud drama when I shoot landscapes, but the all blue sky works very well in both. Good job with a full strong sun Fall sun. Yes, the deep blue reflection pool is beautiful. All the colors from the marsh grasses to the trees and slope seem to support the blue background. Might try lightening up the blooms in the marsh. Could see this as a cool oil painting.

Put me down for the second one. The first is quite nice, but the second has more originality and I love the range of color in the foreground.

John, my vote is for the first one. It has a very strong composition, and I love the way my eye wanders up the channel towards Rainier. The grasses along the edge of the pool are a very interesting element too.

In the second image, I think the red/purple berry leaves (?) make for a very interesting foreground, but the leaning cutoff tree on the right is too much of a distraction. I would have tried stepping forward far enough to get past that tree, and shooting a vertical to make use of just the ground cover as a foreground.

John,
Both are good IMO. If prefer the first, only because the tree on the right in second one grabs my eye a bit.
Beautiful work on the colors in both!