wrockwell

I'm a bit conflicted about this image. Having photographed this lighthouse myself a couple of times, I confess to a certain bias, but I find this photo juse a bit "over the top". The lighting looks unnatural, as do the soft edges on the lighthouse itself, and the fence itself takes up a bit more of the frame than I'd like - though if it's the subject, it may not take up enough! On the other hand, I love the dark, ominous sky and the richness of the colors, and the way the inside of the light itself is softly lit against the dark sky - that's a very nice effect.

Lots of folks have mentioned the lens flare. Some like it, some don't. Personally I find it distracting, and would try to get a shot without the flare if possible. I might also try shooting this in vertical format... that would let me include the fence, if desired, but also allow me to compose the shot without the building on the left, since the main point of interest in this location is the lighthouse itself. That would also simplify the image a bit... as it is now, there are too many points of interest, and the viewer is uncertain which is the primary one. With only a bit of the fence in the foreground, and the lighthouse itself against the sunset, I feel this would be a stronger image. Of course, that's just my own personal taste...