Fisherman's dream

As I understand a Critique not always to be wholely positive I would like to introduce the artist in this way into some points which otherwise might go missing among the flood of comments. Furthermore, as a Critique is always subjective I hope that my criticism will not be taken too seriously for I do not in any way want to hurt the artist or those who don't share my point of view.
In my sincere opinion I think that this photograph shows a very harmonic scene which invites the onlooker to dwell on the glory of a sunlit morning in true nature. I see two fishermen standing on the edge of a wide river. A light dense billows from the warm water's surface. Fog drifts through the golden treetops and some light clouds decorate the sky. The dark trees and the altitude of the sun indicate that it is still very early in the morning which is very much appreciated by the fishermen. I suppose the artist wanted to capture this moment of peace to show that this can even be found in (or rather "off of") our hasty, technologified world.

Taking a quick look at the composition we have a layered structure within the picture (river, wood, sky). Within this composition we have on the down right corner the two fishermen who seem to look rather into the centre of the image. They attract attention because they are contrasted visibly against the lighter surface of the water. The different texture of the different structures makes the picture more interesting. The forrest's rough texture and darkness nicely counterbalances the soft, rather uniform structure of water and sky. Looking at the colours we see warm colours dominating the picture, producing the wanted appearance of a serene, peaceful morning. This is all very accurately done by the artist.
What could be done better in my opinion is the overall contrast of the scene. If I took the image and looked at the tonal values I'd probably find little to none real highlights. I know that not all tonal values have to be used in every picture, of course. I think this photo might have benefited, however, if there were more highlights, especially in the area where the sun really lights up the fog and trees. I miss that bit of luminsecence and brillance that I associate with real sunrays. Others might contradict me, and even you, dear artist, but I stand by my opinion and feel like sharing it with you. (Whether you accept it or not is, of course, your choice.) A minor point could be, for me, that the mist above the water seems slightly to exaggerated. It draws a bit too much attention to itself and looks a bit too nervous to really fit into this vision of a peaceful morning.

This is my opinion about your piece of art. I like it and could well imagine standing there at that river by myself! I thank you dearly for sharing it with us and end this critique in the hope that I have not judged wrongly. After all, the above is only my subjective view. But I hope that this view through another one's eyes is what you asked for. Good bye!