TR's Cabin/Repost

I think I know, why there have been no few comments on this. You have way too much canvas surrounding your subject. A crop of the left side almost to the house would give the house more prominence in the photo. And a crop of about half of the bottom would serve to "ground" the house. As is, the house is sort of floating. I would also crop closer to the tree on the right. IMO, I think you will be pleased with the result.

Lucy, thanks for the cropping suggestion. I cropped as you suggested, but perhaps not as drastically, and like how the cabin stands out better.

The cropping was a big improvement. Overall some more interesting light will improve the aesthetics I think.

I think the crop was a real improvement here. I actually like the dappled light, but the highlights are so bright that it's a little hard to look at without squinting a bit. I'm sure that's very realistic, so I'm not sure if reducing the luminance would be an improvement. Just for kicks, you might try experimenting with some moonlight effects, keeping the contrast while decreasing brightness, and shifting the color balance way to the blue side. Just a wild idea, but I would keep this as-is for a nice documentary shot.

P.S. Lack of comments is just because this is the forgotten gallery. Don't know what we can do about that -- it's a shame.

Wayne, here is the image with some of the changes you suggested. Also, the picture has been cropped closer to the cabin as Nancy suggested. Thanks for all of the good tips.

Great job ! You are well on your way.....
I cannot tell from the second re-post, but it appears you may have over-darkened the scene. The tree and part of the house appear black on my screen. Make sure you keep the nice detail, that you caught in the camera.
Also, remember certain effects can change natural colors, especially the greens and cyans to look unreal. Your new green is a bit blue and the cyan sky is a bit saturated.
Many times, this is the desired effect. One way to make sure you have those colors to your taste is to go to the enhance color function in PS or PSE. Then, instead of Master...choose whatever color you wish to play with and move the sliders.
Now...go have fun And, a very hearty welcome to NPN

Here is the picture after it was cropped severely on the left and bottom, and to the tree on the right. Slight changes were made in the light to bring out the details of the shingles on the cabin's roof.

Your last post is perfect. Now, all you have to do is sign it! Thanks for working so hard to make this photo great. The light, composition and colors are truly pleasing

Lucy, thank you for coaching me through this one. I wouldn't say that it's perfect, but you encouraged me to try and try again, and the image has improved a fair amount, in my opinion.

You're very welcome.....just doing what others have done for me.