Natural Looking?

I dropped two graduated filters on this image in an attempt to highlight a specific part of it (and if you don't see it immediately, I failed), but I'm not so certain that it looks natural. I also wanted to silhouette the rider as much as possible. Seldom do I use this tool. Does it work. Please focus your critique on the use of the graduated filter and whether it looks natural. Thanks.

You can see where you were trying to accomplish what I think you did ok at. The 2 things I would think (IMO) is to have been a bit more to your left, shooting straight from the side. I feel like this would have helped with the silhouette a bit more. Also can you clone out the black spots above the 1st horse (birds I am assuming)?

Thanks for your thoughts. Does the lighting look unnatural at all.

You would do well to improve your PP

Seems kind of odd that the sky on the right is so much darker than the left.

As an aside...are those rear facing boots on the second horse? As I recall this symbolizes a death.

Larry Johnson wrote in post #18238847
Thanks for your thoughts. Does the lighting look unnatural at all.

It's doesn't look natural to me. I think that is because knowing it's a beach on a sunny day, yet it's an unnatural faded (a couple different shades) sky. It's hard to see that natural side of it.

chauncey wrote in post #18239270
You would do well to improve your PP

Awesome. Thanks buddy.

saea501 wrote in post #18239867
Seems kind of odd that the sky on the right is so much darker than the left.

As an aside...are those rear facing boots on the second horse? As I recall this symbolizes a death.

swbkrun wrote in post #18239934
It's doesn't look natural to me. I think that is because knowing it's a beach on a sunny day, yet it's an unnatural faded (a couple different shades) sky. It's hard to see that natural side of it.

The boot is the subject. In the original photo it's silhouetted out with everything else on my side of the horses.
Snowed in, I was messing around with the gradutaed filter tool to try and bring the boot to light. Clearly, it didn't work.
The backwards boot is in honor of a deceased rider. This "Saltwater Cowboy" led the procession of others as they walked the wild ponies down Chincoteague Beach the day before their annual swim across the channel.

It's doesn't look natural to me, either. We used to use something similar, but easier to work with for film. I haven't touched them since I started using Photoshop.

Larry Johnson wrote in post #18240338
Awesome. Thanks buddy.

Nevermind chaunce, he apparently gets really bitter about life and makes curt, unhelpful comments ... but he seems like a good enough guy who just has a problem expressing himself.

Seems like the blue sky does not follow the horizon in a parallel fashion. The second thing you might consider is that the sun will make the sky appear brighter on the right side of the frame. I am not a Lightroom guy but in Photoshop, a circular gradient or massive soft brush from the origin of the sun would make it more realistic.

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #18240358

Larry Johnson wrote in post #18240338
Awesome. Thanks buddy.

Nevermind chaunce, he apparently gets really bitter about life and makes curt, unhelpful comments ... but he seems like a good enough guy who just has a problem expressing himself.

Seems like the blue sky does not follow the horizon in a parallel fashion. The second thing you might consider is that the sun will make the sky appear brighter on the right side of the frame. I am not a Lightroom guy but in Photoshop, a circular gradient or massive soft brush from the origin of the sun would make it more realistic.

There is a circular gradient in LR, to OP it is located next to the brush tool or the one after that, I forget.

Larry Johnson wrote in post #18240347
The boot is the subject. In the original photo it's silhouetted out with everything else on my side of the horses.
Snowed in, I was messing around with the gradutaed filter tool to try and bring the boot to light. Clearly, it didn't work.
The backwards boot is in honor of a deceased rider. This "Saltwater Cowboy" led the procession of others as they walked the wild ponies down Chincoteague Beach the day before their annual swim across the channel.

So this is why the left looks so un natural.

You need to get away from the graduated filter and do a more selective enhancement of that area.