Sunset CC please

Hello all, went out to work on my sunset landscapes. Quiet a bit of smoke in the air, here are two edits... looking for CC in post as well as composition. Thanks Cole...

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/xLqy​ME

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/xLqA​Cy

Cole,

I'll preface my comments by saying I'm not a fan of HDR, so you'll understand why I don't like the second image. The foreground looks unnatural since it should be in shadow or at least in limited light when shooting a sunset. IMHO, you've included too much in the first image. I'd want to include part of the foreground, the lake, the mountains near the sun, the sun and the part of the sky that shows the fiery sunset.

I hope you don't mind, but I copied your image from Flickr, made a few minor adjustments under ACR and then cropped it with PS. If you want me to remove the image, please let me know and I will.
I really like this image, but don't think all landscapes are meant to be captured as panoramic images.

Thanks for the great advice. I never thought about the crop aspect of this landscape. Thanks.

Cole,

I think people are often hung up on shooting wide for landscape shots rather than identifying what their subject matter is and composing accordingly.
In this case, you have a fantastic sunset for a main subject, but by including so much in the shot, the sunset got lost. It's often hard to eliminate portions
of a scene, especially when they're as nice as this one, but that's really what a photographer has to do. An artist adds items to his image whereas a photographer
has to eliminate them and that can be difficult when you have a beautiful vista and a wide-angle lens.

Thanks for sharing the shot, Cole. It's a beauty.

Agree with all the comments. HDR just never seems right on a sunset and Bob R is right on the nose about the foreground being unnaturally bright. That seems to almost always be what happens with HDR.

The first is quite nice. I just finished shooting a nice sunset this evening. I shot with a 300mm lens on my 7DII. I simply would not shoot a sunset with a UWA most of the time. The sun is a tiny, distant pinpoint of light and far too much else is included. You need to make the sun bigger, fill the frame with as much of the color in the sky as you can and eliminate as much foreground distraction as possible - all reasons for the longest lens you have. I'll be posting mine later this evening, take a look and see how much difference the long lens makes.

bob_r wrote in post #17683058
Cole,

I think people are often hung up on shooting wide for landscape shots rather than identifying what their subject matter is and composing accordingly.
In this case, you have a fantastic sunset for a main subject, but by including so much in the shot, the sunset got lost. It's often hard to eliminate portions
of a scene, especially when they're as nice as this one, but that's really what a photographer has to do. An artist adds items to his image whereas a photographer
has to eliminate them and that can be difficult when you have a beautiful vista and a wide-angle lens.

Thanks for sharing the shot, Cole. It's a beauty.

rgs wrote in post #17683065
Agree with all the comments. HDR just never seems right on a sunset and Bob R is right on the nose about the foreground being unnaturally bright. That seems to almost always be what happens with HDR.

The first is quite nice. I just finished shooting a nice sunset this evening. I shot with a 300mm lens on my 7DII. I simply would not shoot a sunset with a UWA most of the time. The sun is a tiny, distant pinpoint of light and far too much else is included. You need to make the sun bigger, fill the frame with as much of the color in the sky as you can and eliminate as much foreground distraction as possible - all reasons for the longest lens you have. I'll be posting mine later this evening, take a look and see how much difference the long lens makes.

I took the advice from both of you and worked on this photo that was taken about 1 min before my the photo's I posted above. Let me know if I am on the right track. Thanks so much for the great advice again!--Cole

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/xPHy​wX

Cole, here's the promised sunset shots with a 300mm lens from this evening. These are not cropped at all. Notice how much bigger the sun is and how much the long lens isolates the essential while leaving out distractions. I don't want to hijack your thread so I'm posting a link. https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1438656

I think you have a similar issue with this image as the first. You have to first identify your subject and eliminate anything that doesn't contribute positively to the image.

Does the blue sky and white clouds add positively to the image?
Does the big land expanse on the right side of the image contribute to the overall image?
Does the land to the left of the mountains add to the overall image?

If you answered "yes" then you need to include that portion in the image, else you need to eliminate it.

Try cropping it again, Cole and see if it's an improvement. I'll post the one I came up with after you post yours so we can compare.

Cole,

If you're shooting the sunset, the main subjects are the sun and the beautiful colors. The blue sky and the white clouds have nothing to do with the sunset.

I understand. I was thinking that the contrast from the blue sky to the colors of the sunset was cool, and part of the overall sunset. Is it then standard thought that its just the colors as cropped above? However, the more I look at the contrast between the foreground and the colors only, with no blue sky, I really like it.

Cole,

If you think the blue sky and the white clouds add to the image, then you should leave them in. I don't think they contribute to the sunset since they were there before the sun began to set.
What I find striking in this image are the vivid reds, oranges and yellows of the sunset and the blue sky and white clouds don't add anything to that. If they don't add anything, then they probably detract from the image, at least to some degree. This is just my opinion, though and I'm sure not everyone will agree with it. Photography is an art and a science. The science part has rules but the art can be subject to many interpretations.

Thank you for sharing and taking the time with me. I enjoy learning and this adventure is amazing. Again, thank you so much for your input and time. It is greatly appreciated and soaked up!