Sunset and silhouettes

Here are few shots I took recently.

They could probably use better cropping but I wasnt sure.

Please tell me what you think.
1

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/mszuminski/7629​978588/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/mszuminski/7629​978120/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/mszuminski/7629​978950/

#3 is over processed
#2 I would loose the bottom the weeds just smooth water and the reflections
#1 is a little flat

I agree with Stan on 1...

number 2, nope, I would leave them in. Foreground adds scale and interest. Reflections alone are a dime a dozen.

3... not sure. Stan's comment that it is over processed has me thinking, but then again, what really good sunset shot isn't. You are shooting into the sun... with foreground content. Don't know. I like it, but as a "critique", I am really looking to see what others think.

The first one isn't really doing anything for me.

I like the second one, but it is giving me the impression of a slightly tilted horizon. I like the soft blue, pink and purple. I would also get rid of the little light from the window in the center.

I really like the third one. I'd leave it how it is.

I like them all. The second I like best of all, the composition and the foreground are wonderful.

Funny thing is they were barely processed. Sharpening and that's pretty much it.

First one is my least favorite too.

Thanks for your input.

I like the sky in #1 and #3. Beautiful colors and it looks like painting. I am not sure about #2 and I kind of agree with Stan about the foreground weeds and smoothing the surface of the water.

Leave the third was as is. I like how it looks like the sun is melting. The fact that there was little processing just goes to show what a spectacular show nature can give.

The second one is cool with the weeds but maybe just a little crop on the bottom/retouch would clean it up for me. The stuff on the bottom right kind of intrudes on the composition a bit.

The third one has awesome color, especially since you just sharpened. Are those models or random people? If they were posing for you then they could've been doing something a little more interesting, I'm thinking embracing. If it's just a shot of a couple then there's not much you can do unless you wanted to stalk them for a few minutes. lol

Bernard: they are my parents but they werent really posing. they just happened to go on the jetty when I was shooting so I snapped them.
I was a bit too far from them to yell directions with all the people around.

I do see now that the second one may be a bit crooked. I was going by the roof line and the little bridge on the left.
I will try to smoothe out the water.

Overall their nice, but not wow. Not saying they are bad at all, but like Maxwell Smart says, they 'missed it by that much'. Here are my nits/suggestions;

#1 - Clone out the little beach chair; see if you can warp the lifeguard stand to be straighter; add in a little bit of sun reflection into the water or lighten it up (water looks too dark/boring)

#2 - The out of level doesn't bother me as much as the horizon being dead center. I'd crop at the bottom, to just below the weed's reflection, as the lower stuff in the water is distracting a bit. Also see how it looks with a little of the left cropped, or maybe the right. I think cropping off the right to closer to the weed might look a tad better. But that said, it's actually my favorite of the three.

#3 - While the colors are wondrous for being sooc, the blown out sun really looks (IMO) bad. It's too blown to be appealing. I'd again crop some off the right (maybe to the left of that little peak?) to get your folks closer to the right 3rd of the frame. I think because they are silhouetted, and they're leaning against each other, that's enough to make one (me at least) envision they have an arm around each other, so I'm ok with the 'pose'.

Good work overall though!

good suggestions Kirk.
I will try to apply those.