clouds and tree in tennessee

i shot this facing east the sun just lit up the tree. i used a 2stop reverse nd filter 1/4 sec iso 50 @58mm canon 24-105 5ds.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/Uphp​rM

The title is kinda catchy; but the image doesn't measure up. Just not a lot of interest here. I'd try a different composition and maybe different lighting. Could you get the sun behind the tree? Could you have moved left and composed tighter on the tree and draw in more of the interesting action in the clouds on the right?

Why such a long exposure?

A few times I would have to go with a long exposure because the other settings worked better than if I changed them. I see this was shot at f/9 but probably could have been shot at 5.6 or maybe even 4 since the subject is so far away. But then again, like I said, maybe the longer exposure setup looked better. If you have other shots with different settings I'd like to see them as well.

Composition wise it could be a little better but the lighting is pretty darn good here.

Qbx wrote in post #18374947
The title is kinda catchy; but the image doesn't measure up. Just not a lot of interest here. I'd try a different composition and maybe different lighting. Could you get the sun behind the tree? Could you have moved left and composed tighter on the tree and draw in more of the interesting action in the clouds on the right?

thank you very much for the cc. yes i could have gotten the sun behind the tree. i do have pictures of the composure to the left. the sky was changing rapidly and i was unprepared.

thank you for the reply to my thread. i simply used f 9 because i have found f 9 is where my lens is very sharp. i didn't think the slower exposure would affect the image. i was using a tripod so slow ss wasn't an issue.

CameraMan wrote in post #18379446
A few times I would have to go with a long exposure because the other settings worked better than if I changed them. I see this was shot at f/9 but probably could have been shot at 5.6 or maybe even 4 since the subject is so far away. But then again, like I said, maybe the longer exposure setup looked better. If you have other shots with different settings I'd like to see them as well.

Composition wise it could be a little better but the lighting is pretty darn good here.

thank you for replying to my thread. i appreciate the cc! i have many other images from the same night. the settings are basically the same, but the compsure and sky are vastly different.

here is another composure the golden light just made it's way to the tree i was shooting. iso 50 f/9 1/5 ss at 67 mm

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/UCq5​nk

Where's them shadows, mate?

Second shot is much more interesting. If you use Lightroom or Photoshop, you might try sliding the blacks down (darker) as Olaf is suggesting. If you get a chance to reshoot, give HDR a try.