Dark Cloud at Black Rock (Click for larger view)

What a wonderful image, great composition as always, lovely tones and what a sky - not much more I can say really.

Jed

I prefer this offering to your other similar shot, mainly because of the atmospherics here and the contrast of the elements caused by the low sunlight.  For me, it simply has more impact, though each shot brings it's own special look to the forum.  Two great shots! Win-win!  In this one, I like the inclusion of the tuft of grass lower right.  Breaks up the dark area nicely.  Fair comment on the sharpness issue.  Post operations should be transparent to the viewer but in all honesty I likely wouldn't have noticed had the issue not been brought up by others.  Always a treat to see your latest.  Best, Len.

Many Thanks for your positive feedback, much appreciated! 

Best Regards

Alf 

LEN 

I agree with your analogy, this one does seem to have more impact. I think the radiant patches of sunlit vegetation grasses owe a lot to the fact that they were still wet from the recent rain.  I didn't notice the white line myself until it was mentioned, a bit careless of me, but not the end of the world as it is easily rectified.

Always good to get your views and feedback Len.

Sincere Thanks 

Alf 

I never tire of seeing your images taken in Scotland. Such magical light you had at that moment. The dark mood of the clouds is so beautifully offset by the sunlight that radiates in the largest portion of POV. I like the house in the composition. I particularly like being able to see the textures in the stone of the house which I had not noticed before. The beautiful mix of natural textures and colours in the foreground lead me nicely into this lovely composition. You must have enjoyed working on this image when I consider how busy you have been. It's almost like 'reliving' those moments when you were actually there. We all need a 'mental health break' from time to time and I think this one would have been perfect! As far as the sharpening goes, I know you didn't mean to overlook it and can quickly mask it out :) Thanks for treating us all to this beautiful landscape Alf, it certainly was a 'treat' for me.

Sincere regards, Gail

Ahhh, you have been cursed by the white line of sharpening ;-).  Here's a quick fix you can try, and it's useful for this venue of image display.  I don't know how it will work on a fine print but you can decide that.

When you want to retain the level of sharpness over the entire image but have the edge illumination, try this.   I use the Blur tool in PS Elements (I assume the full version will have this tool), set the controls at 4px brush size (soft edge brush) and strength at 80% (this varies with each image - from 30% to 100%).  Zoom in until the brush covers the offending dark/white pixels (in this case) and simply run the brush down the line.  For posting purposes I don't see that it hurts the image and you get to retain your overall sharpness and the rim light is blurred together.

Here's where I tried these settings on your shot.... Mike

Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback. I know just how busy you are at the moment so it really is appreciated. 

Yes you are right, when I was working on the processing it was indeed just like reliving the moments. I love the place and can't wait until I'm back in Scotland in November. This time I'm visiting the Isle of Skye, I have only been to this island once before and it was an all to brief visit. Hopefully I'll get some decent shots of the magnificent landscapes that I know are there.  Such peace and solitude, my next "mental health break"  : - ) 

I'm really pleased you enjoyed viewing this Gail and thank you once again! 

Best Regards

Alf 

MIKE 

A little gem of wisdom you have imparted here with the sharpening fix so my sincere thanks! 

I usually just use the eraser tool after sharpening in much the same way as you described using the blur tool and brush settings. It has the same effect, but your methodology has the distinct advantage of being able to apply it after the image has been " flattened"  whereas mine relies on my old befuddled memory to selectively erase the sharpening before flattening : - )  I have to say the result speaks for itself, great little tip! 

Cheers Mike! 

Alf 

Just a GORGEOUS presentation, one of your absolute best!

Many Thanks for your interest and most encouraging comments, much appreciated! 

Best Regards

Alf 

Fascinating all! What a mood...! Speechless!

Best regards, Alf!

PDE

Thank you so much! Not very often you are rendered "speechless" : - ) 

Best Regards

Alf 

The white line is easily fixed...:-) Otherwise is a truly excellent composition. Without the building..? No...definitely not. The element that I like the most about this very well balanced composition is the light!!.

VERY WELL DONE.

Sincere Thanks my friend.

The original of course doesn't have the white line, and as you say, it's easily remedied.  It's surprising how we see things differently as time passes. This one sat in a file for years without me ever bothering to process it from RAW. 

Best Regards  

Alf 

Congrats. This photo was selected to be in Photo.net's daily sampling.

Many Thanks, I wouldn't have known if you hadn't mentioned it.

Cheers! 

Alf