Really? Good job with changing the color of the landscape some I am guessing? Well I'm just gonna speak for myself, ok? I do like the image, I like how you seperated the formations from each other and the tree is a good leading element. As far as the sky, I PERSONALLY am not a fan of doing things like that, I'm very old schooled. That being said, I appreciate you saying that you did. I do feel that if someones gonna do that, just be honest that you are.

My suggestion though would be, and this is 'cuz I've seen this a lot, but 1. I would suggest to use a sky that is in the same direction... The sky you used, is it looking into the sun? In other words, it appears that the light is coming from the right but the sky looks as if the sun is setting behind the formations so the light SHOULD be hitting the back of the formations, not the front, which it appears to be doing, make sense?

2. You did a good job with this, I would just suggest to someone to use a sky taken with a similar focal length as the scene.

All that being said I'll just repeat what I said at the start. I do like the image, despite not being a fan of composite images. But thanks for the honesty and can't wait to see more of your work

Chris Hilbrand

Sep 15, 2020

Well, Isabel, as I decided to follow you on Shuttermonkeys I’ve got a note by mail when you posted your image. So I have seen it before it got any comments. And honestly: my first thought when seeing it (and before reading your lines) was that the sky doesn’t belong to the foreground.

So „no“ to your question: it is not cheating - because it can easily be recognized. But Jeremy is right: you did the composing technically perfect. It isn’t your first „sky blending in“, am I right?

But I know from your website, Isabel, that you can capture what you see much better – and without „cheating“ ! Maybe that’s why I didn’t comment your post at first. Now when Jeremey started the discussion I’m adding some own thoughts:

As a photographer, I never will change the sky or blend in some parts of another capture into any photography - except when I am working not as a photographer, but as a layouter and need to display things as favorable as possible, i.e. houses in a real estate catalogue. But that’s another job.

And then: If I were at your scene with that warm lighted rocks I would have hurried up to the three (or are the even four?) „presidents“ in the upper left corner of your picture and tried to capture them in a breathtaking perspective with some appropriate foreground. And maybe I would have tried another shot to underline the colors and details with some brackets for an HDR-merge.

However, Isabel: Thanks for your courage to submit your image into discussion. As Jeremey I too can’t wait to see more of your work.