Last Light - Cache La Poudre

This was taken Wed night just west of Ted's Place heading in to the canyon. I liked the way the light was catching the trees. I'm not sure about the comp or the capture. The sharpening looks a little wacked out to me..I think I messed it up playing around and resizing. Feedback welcomed - thanks!

here is a cropped version...

Here is one from Thur morning - up river at Grey's Rock...would also appreciate any feedback on this one...

I'm not real wild about the first one, but I sure like the composition and subject matter of the second! Could use a bit more contrast that was lost in postprocessing.

I like the light in both of them, but like John I prefer the comp. of the last one. The processing looks a little funky to me though, maybe it's the sharpening?.

I took another stab at processing the second shot...thanks for the feedback. I'm not that skilled at PS yet...let me know if this is any better...

Actually, I think you needed a lighter touch with the Shadow/Highlight tool, not a stronger one.
The original wasn't too bad at all. Just needed a touch more contrast to offset what was lost with the S/H tool, IMO.

I like the creek shot the best, and I like the cropped version of the tree better. And I agree about the contrast, just needed a bit. Nice scenes.

I like the comp in the first, but would have liked a bit more at top where it is a tad tight. In the second, as mentioned just needs some contrast via a curves adjustment, and maye a little compensation for the dark areas.