Just having fun with the possibilities…
Original orientation, slightly cropped up top, but almost full frame.
As always, your feedback and suggestions are most welcome. Most curious as to your reaction and impression.
Nikon D800E, 28-300mm @70mm f/18 1/4s, cropped from full single frame
Lovely!! I’m trying to channel a hillside but it suggests a tree to me, and it feels like it should be rotated 90 CW. But I’m a tree person.
Beautiful lines,Lon. I love how the three darker areas are all at the same angle and almost the same length, adding some interest and character to the scene. The detail and colors are exquisite. My guess is this is a tree, dark spot are knot hole and you’ve rotated the image clockwise? At any rate, it is a gorgeous image and thanks the sharing it with us.
I can see why others might think it’s a tree in a rotated frame. That certainly could make sense. I could also see it as a branch or fallen tree laying by a smallish water feature.
What perplexes me a bit is the top left corner. It seems so much smoother than any other area of the frame, and I can’t rationalize a reason for that.
Terrific image whatever it is and I dig the color palette.
I too think it’s a tree trunk, Lon. I have shot many of them in the past few weeks. Of course it could also be a fence board, or a wooden bench. I’ve shot those as well recently. 
In any case, I like the easy peaceful feeling. (channeling my inner Eagles)…
Either you guys are too good, or I’m to predictable… 
Thank you @linda_mellor , @Diane_Miller , @rjWilner and @David_Bostock for taking a moment to comment.
Yup, a tree of course and originally vertical. The colors on the left are cooler granite and greenery from other trees, but also not in the same plane, so softer:
Pretty sure that area was not in the same plane, further out of focus and with movement, pretty much resulted in no detail. It was especially noticable in the cropped horizontal; perhaps much less so in the fuller frame vertical version.
Great reference David! Got me humming now… “‘cause I’m already standin’ on the ground…”
Cool!! Put me down for the original orientation and framing! There’s more there to explore and sink my teeth into. And thanks for getting that song stuck in my head! (That’s OK – it’s on my favorites playlist. I might as well cue up the music and settle into some editing. Too hot to go outside.)
Really lovely, Lon. I’m partial to the horizontal crop as well. The vertical variation feels too heavy on the right somehow, while horizontal one is like looking at water and sand and movement all as abstractions. I see it’s trees, but that’s not the sense I get from it.
Great work any way you look at it.
ML
Nice work here Lon! I’m preferring the horizontal orientation but with a recommendation. The top portion of the image pulls my eye away from the wave like patterns in the bottom portion of the image. I would consider cropping up the top 25%.
I like the horizontal version better (as presented).
Love the mood and the sense of flow you got here.
