different take

[chauncey]

Do-over on previous image. Good/Bad/Indifferent

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[Robert_Lay]

I wish I could get my hands on the RAW file for this shot, because there is something killing this shot, and I can't figure out what it is. The sun seems to be in front of the camera and to the right - that is probably contributing to the problem. I can imagine that the unadulterated image is too dark in the wall above the arch and trying to bring up its detail causes all of the sunlit areas to burn out.

[chauncey]

Different take on above. To embarresed to tell what happened to other one.

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[chauncey]

Can't give you the RAW file but this is an unadulterated version.

I'm kinda hoping that you will share your workflow, pretty please with milk and sugar.

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[Robert_Lay]

Can't give you the RAW file but this is an unadulterated version.

I'm kinda hoping that you will share your workflow, pretty please with milk and sugar.

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Now that I see the unadulterated original color shot, it is clear as to why this image was essentially ruined at birth. The sun is too near the shooting axis. The lens is probably taking a direct hit from direct rays of the sun, and the scene is essentially back-lighted. So, no matter what is done in post processing the shadows will be veiled from glare on the lens (similar to sun shining on a dirty windshield, which makes it almost impossible to see anything through that glare).
Another effect will be a general loss of both local and overall contrast - again from the glare.

The first rule is to find the correct lighting for the subject. If you don't find it possible with the sun, perhaps you can get a shot wih moonlight from the camera side of the subject.

Lighting is everything!

P.S. After straightening the horizon, that unadulterated shot is probably a more acceptable rendition than is the monochrome.

[emomophantom]

I agree with Bob's assessment, but I thought I'd take a stab at it. I don't always get the picture I want straight out of the camera (actually, most of the time), so I have to make some adjustments. One of the effects of what Bob is talking about is lack of contrast, so most of what I've done enhances contrast. I couldn't do much about the blown-out sky (a common problem I have), but the top of the wall was interesting, so I decided not to crop it out.

My workflow: Straightened the image some.
Used a Levels adjustment layer to color correct (to find the white point and the black point).
Used a Curves adjustment layer to increase the contrast between the tree trunks and the wooded background. Added a mask to apply this layer to only the trees.
Added a Curves adjustment layer to increase contrast on the rocks and the road and used a mask to conceal the other parts of the picture.
Used a Hue / Saturation Adjustment layer to add Red and Green saturation.
Used another Curves adjustment layer to increase overall contrast and finally sharpened using High Pass.
I like the picture, so I hope this gives you some ideas...

[chauncey]

The rest of the images were as bad, so I did what every red blooded photographer would do. I cheated.

Took a different image and cropped everything that was giving me heartburn.

It got lighter with the download, much smaller image now.

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