Sunset C+C

[iCareMuch]

I took this shot while waiting for my long layover in LA. I had to make 4 different edits since this is my first time PP on a laptop, it's hard to tell if you're looking at the picture correctly when you just slightly move and the picture changes.

How does it look on your end?

I'm aware the horizon is in the middle and this is usually looked down upon in composition, but I thought the curved street added some foreground interest and the mountain/sky added good midground/background interest.

Thanks

 

[MWG]

I'm not seeing a picture?

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

.Great color.

All of the interest, or the details are all smooshed up over on the right side, leaving the image feeling unbalanced. The "S" curve leads you eye right out of the frame. In viewing this image, I am left wanting to see more of what was left off on the right side.

 

[iCareMuch]

.Great color.

All of the interest, or the details are all smooshed up over on the right side, leaving the image feeling unbalanced. The "S" curve leads you eye right out of the frame. In viewing this image, I am left wanting to see more of what was left off on the right side.

Hmm.. Thanks for the advice. One thing I didn't pay attention to when I was framing the shot. I'll keep that one in mind for next time.

 

[KmH]

The curve, and rest of the foreground is so under exposed that it isn't an effective leading line, though from your OP you apparently intended it to be a significant image element.
Reconsider the centered horizon:

 

[iCareMuch]

The curve, and rest of the foreground is so under exposed that it isn't an effective leading line, though from your OP you apparently intended it to be a significant image element.
Reconsider the centered horizon:

Wow! I'm astonished how powerful a crop can be. I do love your edit way more. I'm looking at this thread now on my phone and the sand does look terribly underexposed, I'm going to try to calibrate my laptop screen tomorrow as best I can. May I ask what exactly you did in the sky and water? The clouds especially *pop* a lot more. I'm still learning but if I were to guess it looks like the midtones were darkened or contrast was bumped up. I'd love to know.
Thanks

 

[KmH]

Using Camera Raw (ACR 6) I added a blue toned gradient to the sky down to the waterline but tilted the gradient so it didn't add blue to the hills, and added some Clarity. The Clarity slider increases/decreases the mid-tone contrast.

Using Photoshop CS5, and on a new layer, I burned the clouds (which indirectly adds some saturation), the hills in the background, and the water under the hills to simulate shadowing from the hills. I dodged the rest of the water.

I selected just the beach and used an Exposure Adjustment layer to add exposure to only the beach.

The horizon is right on the lower rule of thirds horizontal line, and the crop gives the photo a more panoramic, expansive feel, while also getting rid of image elements that weren't really adding anything.