Reflections, C&C please

[dsmarr]

does the rule of thirds apply when you are trying to balance a shot like this?

 

[tirediron]

The 'rule of thirds' is a guideline at best. I think the issue here is the danger of making the image seem like a piece of striped fabric as all of the bands (sky, cloud, land, reflection, open water) are very similar in width. My inclination would be to crop the bottom of the image to the point where the lowest edge of the reflected clouds would become the bottom of the image.

 

[reznap]

The 'rule of thirds' is a guideline at best. I think the issue here is the danger of making the image seem like a piece of striped fabric as all of the bands (sky, cloud, land, reflection, open water) are very similar in width. My inclination would be to crop the bottom of the image to the point where the lowest edge of the reflected clouds would become the bottom of the image.

I agree with the crop idea, and opened his image in photoshop before reading your post. I tried to give it some pop by increasing contrast and I lifted the greens in the shadowy areas of the trees. Also added a quick border. What do you think OP?

I would always try to not center the horizon, I think most landscapes benefit from 1/3 sky and 2/3 land, or 2/3 sky, etc...

EDIT:

And a more aggressive edit:

 

[dsmarr]

I like the first edit Reznap. Number 2 the foliage doesn't look natural. I will have to keep that in mind when composing shots like this. Thanks for the comments guys.

 

[ConcretePicture]

The second edit may leave the trees a little too light, but I think it is much more crisp. I think the old rule of thirds still reigns, but there are certainly exceptions to every rule.