Thanks for the suggestions!
I did take these into account.
1) I increased the sun color to provide more contrast.
2) Added more waves and some more water reflections.
3) Added some texture to the "sand" and well as to the darker part of the sky in the form of stars. Also added some sand footsteps. Kinda.
3) Reduced the lighting on the girl on the foreground slightly, but overall increased the color schemes on the dresses.
4) the dresses ARE black by design, since it's supposed to be post a funeral. However, I see the point on the overall balance and increased some of the color reflections on black.
5) Tried to add a slight water texture reflection on the girl in the water.
I think it does look better! a bit more alive. while still feeling contemplative. Appreciate the notes!
On retrospective, maybe I could have also given the blonde girl hair a bit more transparency. and blend the waves colors a bit better, but I'll be moving ahead for now to the next part.
Final piece:
![](https://d1s0ws440m13mk.cloudfront.net/original/3X/e/d/ed5b3062957a5547bbeebfcc56e2b104a3bc5544.png)