Selective Snow Storm

Love these clouds, Gary. They're dramatic without being melodramatic (contrasty). I would lift the darks on the plain a bit.

Looks like snow verga or virga, but if it was hitting the ground must have been the real deal.  Love the effect it creates in the image.  Wonder if you can work on the FG trees to distinguish them more from the dark ground they grow from.  Might take some selective masks and trial and error to see what might work, but would add another layer of depth to the gorgeous mountains in the distance.  Perhaps added clarity and brightness in this area might do the trick.  See some magenta / green banding in the clouds, especially on the large right one.  Maybe you needed to brighten this cloud in post?  Sometimes I get this effect if I open too much.  Grand view indeed.

Wow, gorgeous, Gary.  I wish there was something to give me a sense of scale, but this is just a beautiful scene.

Lovely capture, Gary.  I love the drama in the sky and the light on the Chugach range.  I wonder about the curling hook cloud.  It adds to the drama, but it also potentially steals the show. I played with different crops (scrolling) and didn't like the effect of a crop off the top (too 50/50 then), but there might be a way, if you want, to minimize the distraction of the curling cloud without losing its drama.  I hope that makes sense.  Regardless, gorgeous winter scene here.  I can feel the cold and wind and light.
ML

The large version opens up this scene rather nicely, Gary. The dynamics in the sky are particularly striking as is the lighting on the mountain range. My only suggestion would be to open up the FG trees just a little bit. Nicely done.

Ed

Gary,

Wow, you've caught quite a squall here.  I really like  how the storm is pretty much centered between two ridges with the snow covered peaks shining through in the background.

The gradual slope of the foothills tie the plain and trees nicely; however I would agree with Harry and others about somehow bringing up the luminosity of the very bottom and getting some separation from the trees and brush/tundra, whatever the dark gray is.  One suggestion might be to use a b&w layer with the blending mode set to luminosity.  Learned this from Preston a while back.  I think you could then raise the luminosity of the blue and cyan channels, drop the green channel and create that separtion from the trees.  Of course then with a quick mask, paint out the effects on the rest of the scene so the adjustment is only for the bottom trees and plain.  Hope that makes sense.

Which also begs the question, what about going b&w all the way?  I think the drama in the squall could be enhanced maybe? Then again, I really like the blues in the sky too.

Great nature moment.

Lon

Gary, great job of capturing these dramatic weather conditions. When this image first came up, I thought this should be converted to B&W, but after spending time studying the image, I actually prefer it in color. The blue tones in the sky and the shadows on the peaks really are wonderful, making this work very well in color. I too would like to see some selective dodging of the foreground trees. Very dramatic image, nicely done.

Beautiful mountain scene. I see what the others are saying about the fore trees. I would consider a crop eliminating them, which to my eye, would further emphasize the beauty of the range and the storm. Either way, sweet scene.