Orange-y Clouds

The orange-y areas don't look quite right to me. Maybe too muddy. I donno. Aren't clouds supposed to be muddy ?

http://www.flickr.com/​photos/zircon100/25656​54172/

Conditions:

lens: EF 16-35 mm 2.8
exposure: 16 mm @ f8, ISO 400, 1/160 (HOYA UV filter)
camera in AV mode, white balance set to cloudy
camera mounted on tripod, mirror locked up prior to exposure
manual focus on treeline
image captured in RAW format

post processing: color de-saturated slightly
orange shadow areas darkened slightly by burning

foreground was NOT artificially darkened

Hmmm... I think there's too much boring sky... and too much boring black foreground. I would crop the top and bottom and actually boost the saturation... but that's just me.

Nice looking shot none the least.

I am with jeremy on this. just not enough interest in the image for me. I dont mind the amount of foreground or the sky, its just not dynamic enough, not colorful enough or contrasty (in color or local contrast) for me.

Thanks to jbdavies and kevindar (nice photo web-site) for your comments. Reposted is a side-by-side of the original RAW image and post-processed image.

http://www.flickr.com/​photos/zircon100/25680​43660/

Does the post-processed image appear "over-cooked" ?

the post processed image is much better

Another try:

http://www.flickr.com/​photos/zircon100/25673​68757/

I like your first post processing a lot better than the second. Good job.

I agree with the previous posters that the original is just a bit too bland. I do like the first post processed image a lot better, however. The 2nd pp image doesn't do it for me, though. I think a better shot could have been acquired when those high clouds turned bright orange. That would make the difference, I think, between a good image and an excellent image. And I also agree that the crop could be better - I'd lower the horizon a bit. I like the deep black - it's a great contrast to the sky, but there's a bit too much of it. Maybe using a tree to rise a bit on one side in silhouette would work?

One other possibility: Try converting to B&W. I've been quite pleased with B&W sunsets - you'd think it was counter to the colors you see, but a well exposed B&W sunset can do wonders!

Jim.

Thanks jscotti for your comments on improving elements in this composition. You have an awesome web-site.

I like the physical location of the "Cedar Hills Sunsets" area (http://www.flickr.com/, use zircon100 as a search term for additional examples, comments welcome) because of the variety of cloud formations that can be viewed there. I don't like this location because I can't get closer to the tree line (private property) to minimize the foreground. I can tilt the camera upward, but that minimizes the effectiveness of the neutral density filter. As you mentioned, cropping would solve this problem. I am unsettled about boosting the color in photoshop; mainly because in my hands it often looks unnatural or amateurish, and I enjoy trying to capture the soft pastel colors. I plan to return to this location as long as I can observe interesting variety. However, I have not yet observed any eye-popping mono-chromatic events that make the capture a rare moment; maybe the physics is wrong, or maybe I need to move my camera 3 inches to the left ! The "over boosted" sunset colors manufactured in photoshop and displayed on the flickr website often get rave reviews from the crowd. I'm not sure why. When does "nature" leave off and "art" begin ?