Initially I just wanted to darken the sky to better show the rim lighting on a few of the clouds. Didn't like it much so I tried adding a sun. Think I added more noise than I could handle as well.
The reason why the sun sets in the evening is because it wants to see the sunrise in the morning. I rise in the morning because I want to see them both. RvdB
I like all the dark tone to your photo, it's a very scenic place with that fence and the field beyond. I don't know about the noise, I never seem to spot much of it. Terrific work.
Doug, this is such a neat image, I like what you have done here, for me it works best in the smaller size, in the larger size I think I can see the noise removal throughout the image. Tigs♥ =^..^=
You've created such an interesting quality in this one. I'd like to know what program you use for your editing. I agree with Tigs about the smaller size being better but the smaller one is quite stunning :)
I'm not sure I understand the allure of the smaller size over the full screen size. Typically your downloads are smaller than I like because of your dial-up connection. I always view the largest possible size and oftentimes download a shot that is bigger than screen size so that I can view it in PhotoFiltre. I guess all shots would look equally good or bad if viewed at postage stamp size.
There is some "weirdness" about this shot that makes it quite unique. I haven't decided yet if I like it or not. I like the added highlighting in the clouds and do notice a small amount of noise in the light area above and to the right of the "sun". That doesn't bother me although I think the sunbeams are a bit distracting. If given the choice, I'd take the sunbeams over a cloud border 9 out of 10 times. The foreground has an interesting quality. I wish they had split rail fences around here. It almost looks like you denoised the foreground to the point where the focus is a little soft, but I'm not sure that bothers me either. The split rail on the right puts me off a little because it looks warped. In AutoCAD I would say that you used the "stretch" command, but I have no idea why that appears warped. All and all, I'd give this a solid 6.8 to 7.2 depending on the day of the week and the mean high tide line. I like the overall image except for the nits I picked.
The rays add a sense of motion to your photo, Doug. An interesting, beautiful and odd appearance in the scene. I like the drama in the sky and the lighting in the clouds.
I love the sky. The rays are spectacular. They are not always easy to accomplish, but I think you definitely brought out clear rays. Normally, the blown out sun would bother me, but it seems to complement the very white parts of the clouds. Since I am a sky and cloud lover, I have to FAVE this. Nice job presenting such a dynamic sky on an otherwise placid scene.
Rob