Mount Shuksan, Washington State

[Tpformanphotography (Ted P. Forman)]

Mount Shuksan, located in the North Cascades of Washington State, is definitely one of the most picturesque mountains in all of the USA. I love the reflection in the smooth surface of this pond, and in October there is the added bonus of some colorful fall foliage in the scene.

Specific Feedback Requested

I would appreciate some honest advice from the community on any improvements that could be made to this image.

Technical Details

Canon 80D, f/11, 1/160sec, ISO 200

[Egídio (Egídio Leitão)]

Ted, this is truly beautiful. Is the mountain within the national park?

There is no way to remain fixed on the mountain and its reflection in this image. While I struggle with the lake reflection being a bit dark, I also realize it is that particular fact makes the image more mysterious and captivating. It keeps us searching for the end of the rocks and where their reflections begin. I also like that you chose not to include the actual sky and and opted for its reflection on the lake. That was a nice touch indeed. While the curved leading line from the rocks to the mountains takes us to Mount Shuksan, I would offer a suggestion to eliminate the small elevation beginning to show on the right side. I would prefer to let my eyes rest on the downslope of the mountain instead of having the elevation begin and end abruptly in the present crop.

I brought up North Cascades NP at the beginning of my comments because once again it made the list of the least visited national parks in the country. The 2021 number of visitors put that park at the 4th position of the least visited parks.

[DeanRoyer]

Picturesque indeed. The snow and the reflection help showcase the mountain. And I like the flow of the foliage and rocks curving toward the mountain. Assuming the mountain is your main subject, you might consider a crop to eliminate some of the foreground, which (to me) grabs more attention than you may intend.

[Tpformanphotography (Ted P. Forman)]

@Egídio

…on the right side. I would prefer to let my eyes rest on the downslope of the mountain instead of having the elevation begin and end abruptly in the present crop.I brought up North Cascades NP at the beginning of my comments because once again it made the list of the least visited national parks in the country. The 2021 number of visitors put that park at the 4th position of the least visited parks.

Thanks so much for the good advice. Yes, North Cascades NP is truly one of the most underappreciated national parks in the country.

[Tpformanphotography (Ted P. Forman)]

@DeanRoyer

Picturesque indeed. The snow and the reflection help showcase the mountain. And I like the flow of the foliage and rocks curving toward the mountain. Assuming the mountain is your main subject, you might consider a crop to eliminate some of the foreground, which (to me) grabs more attention than you may intend.

Thanks Dean. Your comment reminds me to look more closely within the frame to pick out some things to exclude in order to make the image more impactful.