I returned to give this scene another shot to include more sky.
I bracketed my exposures but I couldn't manage to combine them with any finesse. So instead I took the image with the underexposed trees and lightened them as well as the lake waters in the foreground using a gradient filter for shadows in LR. I darkened the sky using a highlight filter for the sky.
Note: It is mighty interesting how much one can lighten trees and rocks without introducing any noise, but not so with birds!
In Photoshop CC I painted the lines (lightened) of the trees with a to the point, and I also lightened the prettier trees and their reflections. I couldn't darken the sky anymore, or do anything to it without introducing banding in the sky.
This image represents an exploration of my artistic side. I was thinking pretty and played up the blues of the early morning hours.
Aperture priority f/9 SS 1/30 ISO 100 Focal length 11 mm
(Hand held because I rode my bike there and my tripod is heavier than my bike.)
Rice Lake, Mountain Seymour Park
I would appreciate hearing if folks find this image pretty, or if I have gone too far with the blues.
Thank you.
Note: Frank Miller -If you are still here there were no fishermen in sight so I couldn't borrow a fishing rod to try your idea. Just me and a chipmunk, two chickadees, and possibly a black bear that peaked its head out of some trees and then disappeared.