Picture Lake, Mt. Baker

My family recently enjoyed a summer vacation just south of the border, in Washington State. I have been busy editing the many photos I took there, and this one caught my eye tonight. The original photograph is of Picture Lake, on Mt. Baker. Although the day we were on the mountain was foggy and pouring rain, the photograph still shows the beauty of the lake.

While I was working on the original photo, I noticed how pretty the bottom portion of the photograph is, and began to envision how the wildflowers, reeds, and water would look as a painting. I paint like I draw (stick figures), so my paintbrush is digital. I cropped the image to show only the bottom part of the lake, making the wildflowers the focus. I softened the image, made the colour slightly more vibrant, and here is the first result.

On the second photograph (below) I kept the softness and the brighter colours, and added some lightness and texture to it. I like the result.

I just can't decide which one I like more, and I might play with this one some more to see what else I come up with. I'm thinking of maybe brightening the foreground just a little bit. Hmmmm......