Truckee River in Winter

[PrevailingConditions]

I was going back through some pictures and I keep coming back to these. I like them, but they seem to be lacking something. Any advice?

[gahspidy]

Welcome to the forum. I think both of these shots are lacking a definite subject. There is a scene there, but nothing to really lock on to. The first one is also hurting from having the horizon in the center on the frame. This is sometimes ok, but mostly does not work well. The lake would be a good subject, but it is hidden by the trees and brush.
In both images, the lighting is not helping to enhance the scene, especially in the second shot. The foreground area is underexposed due to low lighting in relation to the rest of the scene. In the second shot, I like the framing with the trees in the left side. I think the image would have been very good had the bottom area been better lit and exposed.
The sharpness and focus seems ok in both shots and the colors are fine.
thanks for posting, and I look forward to seeing more pics from you,
thanks

[PrevailingConditions]

Thanks for the feedback. All very good points. I feel like finding a good focal point in landscape type photos is sometimes difficult (for me at least). Any tips on identifying that "something" that will draw the viewer in?