To look, or not to look - that is the question!

[FGPhotography]

I was taking my son to the park when the clouds captured my attentinon, now the for-scenery didn't inspire me all that much but I risked it for the clouds. When I saw the clouds, I immediately thought "Topaz Adjust"! I love how vibrant and poppy it makes clouds, so i fiddled around with layers and what not to adjust this image a bit to try and make it a bit more... better, dare I say?

What do you think?

Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 20 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Auto, Fired, Return detected

Or is this a better crop for this image?

Bigger of image 1
Bigger of image 2.

[sybren]

Sorry to be harsh, but I think the HDR-like effect is very badly executed here. There is no clear subject, every little detail is fleshed out by the dynamic range compression. I think the alternative crop improves the image (there is nothing interesting in the grass anyway), but still the HDR-like effect ruins the shot for me.

[FGPhotography]

Yes, I realize there's nothing truly interesting in the shot - I was taking the advice of one of the members on here who said to take a picture that doesn't much matter to you and fiddle with it, so I did just that. In this case, like I said, the clouds were what I wanted to fiddle with and the rest of the 'scape was kind of a hindrance - I was hoping I could make it at least a bit interesting with the crop and/or editing but I failed - So your not harsh, your honest and I realize that and it's okay Honesty helps.
Although taking a closer look, I really like the mountains

Originally Posted by sybren

Sorry to be harsh, but I think the HDR-like effect is very badly executed here. There is no clear subject, every little detail is fleshed out by the dynamic range compression. I think the alternative crop improves the image (there is nothing interesting in the grass anyway), but still the HDR-like effect ruins the shot for me.

[navcom]

Originally Posted by FGPhotography

Yes, I realize there's nothing truly interesting in the shot - I was taking the advice of one of the members on here who said to take a picture that doesn't much matter to you and fiddle with it, so I did just that. In this case, like I said, the clouds were what I wanted to fiddle with and the rest of the 'scape was kind of a hindrance - I was hoping I could make it at least a bit interesting with the crop and/or editing but I failed - So your not harsh, your honest and I realize that and it's okay Honesty helps.
Although taking a closer look, I really like the mountains

The mountains are the best part. But I agree that the HDR effect is overdone. It looks almost metallic. The cloud pattern is neat though!

[Ryan O Hill]

I love it super nice pic!! awesome i think playing or manipulating pics is fun! nice pic!

[jiminyClickit]

FGPhotography,

"I love how vibrant and poppy it makes clouds..."

Since it is Techniques, and you did try a technique and learned how others saw the result, that's not failure. We call that "experience."

[AnnetteJ]

If you liked the sky but not the fg, why not just point the camera up more and capture just the sky or mostly the sky with the mountains and rooftops on the bottom edge? It is a good sky and I like the mountains too.

[Murtasma]

This is where a your preconception should really have helped you but didn't. You noticed the clouds looked interesting and you wanted to try a topaz adjustment before you even pressed the shutter (this is good this shows your thinking about the image before you take it). You saw the image in your mind but I think here failed to execute it properly. I love the sky but the rest of the scene is overdone. If the sky was the subject of the photograph then you need to get closer to the sky using a telephoto lens or get low to the ground and use a wide angle lens pointing up.

This would reduce the distracting elements in the image, and allow the clouds to pop out with out competing with a foreground that has way too much local contrast in little details.

The mountains look fantastic I would have tried to climb on top of something or changed my perspective completely to include as much of the mountains and sky in the frame while keeping the distracting buildings around the area to a minimum.