Part of an online "Visual Conversation": http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1005&message=24230892

PeaceFrog wrote:
> The feeling I wanted to convey was a large
> expanse of mud where the birds come to feed. The pictures probably
> do look too empty but I am having trouble thinking of what more to
> include as it really is a big open expanse of mud flats.

Let's take that interpretation of "large expanse of mud" and "emptiness" which I think is right-on and run with it.

Next the question becomes how to express that interpretation?
Here is one possibility, just with a simple crop. I think it starts to emphasize the vastness of the scene.
Why that strategy?
I would guess that when you were there and you were undoubtedly turning your head quite a bit to scan the vastly wide horizon.
So by cropping in a way that also encourages the viewer to repeat that wide scanning with their eyes woud reinforce the sense of being there.
Also, that gives more emphasis to the horizon and encourages our eye to dance along it until be settles on the ships.
I think that left-right scan is sufficient here because of the ships.
Your original also shows the near-far scan as well to show great depth, but the horizon line scan is a bit more powerful way to express what you are after (purely just my opinion).

Also as an aside, this type of image does greatly benefit from being printed quite large to emphasize the effect of the vast scale.