Need help

[Marko]

I just wanted to add - that if you are looking for more dramatic lighting (usually around sunrises and sunsets), you must go out in the dramatic light, or create that lighting yourself (much harder with this subject matter).

I favoured shot 3 basically because the sky wasn't doing anything for me here... But if the sky was colourful and full of gorgeous clouds....another story. You can create that sky in photoshop, but personally that's not my thing. so If I'm out at the right time and the sky is boring, I usually include less of it in compositions.
Hope that may help.

[tiggert]

Water is possibly the most challenging of subject to master:

-Always moving
-absorbs and reflects light
-extreme lighting from pure black to pure white

Knowing these properties plus knowing your camera/film/sensor capabilities (EI) and output capabilities is the only way to master any subject. Keep experimenting these are looking good!

[Doug L]

You know, I kind of like the 2nd shot best. I enjoy the shapes of the waves in this one. I love the energy of the spray going above the horizon (and even out of the frame). The brightness of the sky - top right - balances the whiteness in the lower left of the image. Including the horizon puts the wave in a specific locale - big lake. As for the dark steel-blue colour of the water in your photos, to me, it emphasizes the coldness of the water. Anyway, three very nice shots.