Follow the Sun

Turned out really well as far as I can tell. A very appealing effect with the backlit Phragmites.

Yes the glow on those foreground puffs are a great part of a wonderful scene.

Beautiful scene, Wayne! I love the sunset colors, the birds, and the backlighting on the Phragmites.

The backlit foreground looks great here. I also think what pulls it all together are the birds (or waterfowl). They give the scene a storyline.

I like the backlight glow in the FG, but not sure about the crimson halo where the FG meets the BG.......I do agree, that the ducks pull the scene together nicely.

The backlit glow of the Phragmites is really nice in the foreground and the flying geese are a great addition to the sky, including the two large flocks in the distance. This is a very evocative image, I can hear the geese as they head for their evening roosts. It's an amazing first attempt at blending given the difficulties of blending tree tops in the skyline and in that area around the sun. I expect that you know this trick, but for others, one way to improve the blending on very delicate areas like these when you're using photoshop is to create luminosity masks in the channels panel and then dodge or burn through the appropriate mask. This allows you to darken areas like the tree branches without (or with little) changing of the sky around the branchs.

Very well composed scene with many interesting elements. Love the colors and the backlighting of the grasses. The sun on the left is balanced nicely by the flying geese. Focus looks good too as a result of your blending. There are a few processing artifacts such as the maroon halo above the grasses and the jagged outline of the sun but otherwise this is a great image, Wayne!

I am enjoying this as it is. Good blending. I was thinking how you were able to get the foreground sharp and exposed (as they are always swaying in the slightest breeze) until I read of your two exposures. Nicely done and as already commented, the ducks tie it all together.