new version

Montgomery: I read your bio and see that you are just getting started with raw files and image post-processing. The friend who convinced you to go in this direction is right, in my opinion. You will be amazed by the possibilities.

This image has some real strengths. The vantage point of the camera adds definite drama by over-sizing the fallen tree and the sky is utterly beautiful. Had I not looked at your portfolio, I would have thought this was taken in the mountains, off of a high peak instead of a beach.

On the weakness side, the tones are dark and rather thin vis-a-vis conveying dimension. Global contrast is heavy and mid-tone contrast is weak. The horizon is severely tilted and the weight of the OOF foreground with the heavy black sky throws image balance out of whack. The focus point seems to be on the stones nearest to the tree and the DOF is short, with the limb that juts into the sky slightly out of focus. My "preference" would have been a sharp focus on the texture of the decaying wood with sufficient DOF to keep it all in focus.

Your raw file may allow for correction of some or all of this. Leveling and cropping for image balance would do a lot to emphasize what is strong and minimize what is weak.