The wind was making nicely rounded ripples on Summit Lake, in Lassen NP. A partly cloudy sky and a few grasses poking through the surface made for interesting reflections.
What do you think about the upper right area. The ripples weren’t as defined here, and it looks different. Is that a deal killer?
Single frame, a7, 220mm, f/16, 1/400s, ISO 1250, hand held.
This is really nice. The color and “texture” in the ripples is mesmerizing. I agree that the upper ripple lack the definition of the lower ripples, but it doesn’t bother me a whole lot. You maybe crop a little off the top or maybe play with brightness/contrast in this area to enhance what’s there. However, this fade to lightness works too. Maybe you should just try pushing that further.
This is pretty cool, Bonnie. I might tone down the brightness a bit, but I like it as is. My favorite part of the image are the shadows of the grasses.
Bonnie,
Beautifully seen and captured. Great work isolating this delicate little blades and their shadows. The ripples ain’t bad either… 
Is the UR a deal breaker? I don’t think so at all. Sure, the patterns are less defined and I could see toning down the brightness some, but certainly this works beautifully as presented.
Lon
Love what you do with this type of image Bonnie! I don’t think the URC is a deal breaker, and you could increase the contrast a tad there if you really wanted it to match a bit more:
Thank you, @Tony_Kuyper, @Gary_Phillips, @John_Williams, and @Lon_Overacker for your comments. I actually did the things you all suggested (lowered brightness, increased contrast in URC) in the posted file. I worry about taking things too far, but in this case, I need to push it a bit more.
Bonnie, this is a fine looking, semi-abstract. The ripples in the water look great and those two grass stalks and their shadows add lots of interest. To me, the ripples going oof at the top seems natural, but I also was thinking that adding contrast in that area might help.
