I just finished this house portrait for friends at the lake. I'm happy with the final outcome although it did involve a bit of a struggle to decide what to leave in and what to leave out. It was done from a photograph taken from their boat. They wanted to get the dock area in as well as the gazebo and the house. I had to make some decisions on how much of the neighboring properties to include and what elements to remove. Ultimately I decided to leave a hint of some neighboring properties because it is a close knit neighborhood but I did not put in many details because I didn't want to take the focus away from the main house. I also decided to eliminate the jet ski parked next to the dock because it would have been too busy and would have distracted the viewer from the focal point. These changes worked well and I love the way the dock leads your eye back to the house. The reflections on the water add interest to the foreground. This one took me a long time to complete as I did it in in small snippets but I think that added to the strength of the final piece because I would come back to it with a fresh eye each time. The best part of all is that my friends love it!
