Paperbark tree unedited

[Becndicko]

Hello all,

some time ago I put up an edited version of a paperbark I took at a swamp. I would like to edit this again, I had a few great constructive critism. But I would like to know your suggestions of what you would do. My intentions are to crop the and hoan in on the tree and reflections, and somehow even out the blown out sky.

Thanks for any suggestions

[Becndicko]

I am sorry I know the limit is one, but here is my edited version I tried.

[jabrock]

What is the purpose or designation of the picture; will it be posted on the web or hung on a wall for viewing?
Have you considered changing the orientation from portrait to landscape before cropping and if it's to be viewed anywhere other than the web have you printed and compared the edited versions to the original.
They both look great and I love the detail, but what works in one medium may not work, or appear the same, in another.
Hope you keep us posted with your final decision.

[doxborrow]

Well, I definitely like the crop better on your edited version. I also like how you darken/toned the trees in the background to give the main subject some nice separation. Overall I think it's a great shot.

The one thing that still has me hung up is the sky. Did you shoot this in JPEG or RAW? If you shot it in RAW I would try and recover those highlights along the horizon. If you shot it in JPEG, perhaps you could try a B&W. Blown out highlights usually aren't as distracting in B&W.