First Photoshop Tree at Sundown

[Meandmynikon]

My first attempt at editing my photos. I made the foreground blacked out by adjusting the black levels, and made the sky a little more saturated. Thing is now the picture looks too unnatural. Would like to know what you think and any pointers you have.

Thank You

[windrider86]

Would you mind taking a peek at the guidelines and include the information asked for? Please and thank you.
Trust me, it not only helps you but helps us as well!

[SwissJon]

It actually helps us help you help yourself.. So help us help you and we'll help you and you can help yourself...

Heeeellllpppppp!!!nn

[EOBeav]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

It actually helps us help you help yourself.. So help us help you and we'll help you and you can help yourself...

Heeeellllpppppp!!!nn

Then I can help Jon help us help yourself while you help us. Got it? :-)

First thoughts about your shot: Too much foreground and, since there's not a lot of cloud action, too much sky. Zoom in and just get the tree with the colors behind it. Just a thought.

[Meandmynikon]

Im sorry, thought i had. My apology

Here you go:

Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 280
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

[Preeb]

Originally Posted by EOBeav

Then I can help Jon help us help yourself while you help us. Got it? :-)

First thoughts about your shot: Too much foreground and, since there's not a lot of cloud action, too much sky. Zoom in and just get the tree with the colors behind it. Just a thought.

It would be fine for a poster or some sort of sign, opening page of a magazine article or the like, where there was text in those areas. But they are rather stark as it stands right now. The saturation is high enough that it's almost surrealistic, but I happen to like that in some cases.

[navcom]

I agree with Beav...too much sky and foreground. Convert to landscape orientation and eliminate some of both.

On the colors...they don't necessarily look "unnatural" but the sun is overexposed compared to the rest of the sky so that is not helping. That's probably what is giving you the subconscious clue that something isn't right.

Hope that helps!

[Meandmynikon]

Thank you all! That does help. Less is more kind of thing. I have about 50 pictures i took at that time from different angles and such so ill take one of those and leave it as is. The more Natural the better.

Thanks again!

[Jonbar18]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

It actually helps us help you help yourself.. So help us help you and we'll help you and you can help yourself...

Heeeellllpppppp!!!nn

Originally Posted by EOBeav

Then I can help Jon help us help yourself while you help us. Got it? :-)

My head hurts.....

And there's no image for me-anybody else with that problem?

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by Jonbar18

My head hurts.....

And there's no image for me-anybody else with that problem?

Close your eyes and use your imagination.. Imagne a shot where the bottom 1/3 of the picture is black, the top 1/3 of the picture is blue sky, and the middle 1/3rd contains a tree and gazebo sillhouetted by a sunset.

I think this would be better in Landscape, zooming to the middle 1/3, which I like very much.