Critique my barn Eland!

[Conk]

I've posted this picture here Because Eland has sparked my curiosity in the share photo's forum.
So here it is, bring on the critique!:) Anyone feel free.
http://www.pbase.com/image/9449273/large.jpg

[eland]

Wow, Colin,
Opening the program this morning gave me a big surprise. Thank you for transferring the image here and for your request..

The picture has real potential and is the sort that one could see in National Geographic Magazine, perhaps with an article on that part of the country.
To bring it up to standard may I humbly suggest :

1. Remove the Drop Shadow.
The photo does not need it and as much of the foreground is dark, I kept wondering why the outline was fuzzy. Then I noticed bottom left that it was caused by the drop shadow.

2. Color Saturation, particularly on the barn should be raised. Give the barn a richer color to make it really stand out.

3. The mountains are great but are hazy and tend to blend with the sky. A polarizing filter would have given better separation and saturation, but you should be able to improve it in your editing program.

4. As the sky is blank, I would crop it off to just above the mountain peaks.
Empty sky "flattens" a picture. Crop it off and your picture gains more depth.

5. Remove the branches and leaves from the left.
They are a distraction.

6. As the picture is viewed on a site with a light background, one needs to put a border around the image so that the light areas don't 'bleed' out into the surrounding area.
A thin dark line is all that is needed to "hold in" the lighter areas.
If you were showing on a dark background like pbase.com you would need a middle tone border to "hold in " the dark foreground or it would be totally lost, as it is now in the drop shadow.

7. I might experiment with showing some of the foreground detail.
I think this is the sort of shot that Nat. Geographic would have shot at a different time of day.
Maybe early or late to catch cross lighting on the fences, to easily separate the mountain from the sky and to take advantage of the lower color temperature at those times.

In summary, the main points
a. Improve color saturation, particularly of the barn.
b. Make the mountains stand out from the sky.
c. Crop off some sky.
d. Remove the drop shadow.
e. A dark line around the image to "hold in" the sky.

It's a very fine image Colin and worth going the extra mile or if it's not too far from home, to retake it early or late depending on whether morning or evening light will catch the barn and mountain.
I see that you do have sunlight on the peaks but the key foreground is in shadow.
I visualise the shot with the barn in warm low light and the slanting sun catching some or the fencing.

Kindest regards
eland

[Conk]

Eland,
I've read over your comments and agree 100% on all points. I had originally set out to shoot a pano of the mountains and the sun was shining from the south which was creating a glow on the mountains showing the fresh dusting of snow. However my plan was hindered by trees everywhere I went. It was getting close to sundown and I was just about to return home when I saw this farm. It was really a chance shot but like you say worth going back to rephotograph. I will definitely be returning to do just that. I'll just have to wait for the rain to pass and a clear day again.
I have a lens adapter on order so a polarizing filter is near.
The drop shadow never felt right when I applied it. I have no idea other than inexperience as to why I even kept it.
In the original on the left side along the tree line had the roof of a house showing. Thank god for clone stamping! There was also more snow peaked mountains showing. I cropped them out to center the barn more. Maybe this wasn't the right thing to do.
I'm going to make the changes you suggest and then post it.
Thank you big time for your input.