Clearing Storm, Sneffels Range
A storm clears over the Sneffels Range, above autumnal aspens and willows. San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
REASON FOR REJECTION: I like the composition concept with layers of willows receding to aspens and then onto the mountains. The deep shadows in the evergreen trees feel like a visual black hole and brightening those shadows looked awkward. I also do not like the square shape of the patch of blue sky above the mountains (which would have been easy enough to clone but I like the challenge of wanting everything to come together in the field, so I typically do not mess with clouds and skies). Had I been able to address the black hole shadows in a way that looked appealing, I probably would have included this photo. The strong side light works better with the aspens and willows but not the evergreens. Photo © copyright by Sarah Marino and Ron Coscorrosa.