Photo Challenge: How Does Water Impact our Lives?

Today’s Photo Challenge from Photo 101 : A picture a Day is water.

How does water impact our lives, and how can your sense impact the story you want to tell.  Trying to capture this little guy standing still is always a challenge, however, I was able to grab a few clicks before he lost interest and moved down the beach.  How did a landscape picture work compared to a traditional portrait orientation?  Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to make it to the lake before the sun started to set (who wants another sunset photo, however, captured these not too long ago that I thought were fitting.

How do we capture the entire scene?

What is the most important element in the picture; the foreground driftwood, the child playing, the forested vista?  The character of the landscape is lost in the landscape orientation, and no true focal point.  A portrait orientation provides depth and character.

What are your thoughts?  How would you have composed the photo.