AustralianPhotography

Hi Allie

This is a lovely sunset in that you have chosen to frame the scene with local flora. There are a couple of things that I would do to improve this photo though.

The first is to manage that lens flare.

Anyone who has ever worn glasses (myself included) will know what it is like to have fingerprints on their lenses. The view we have of the world becomes a bit softer, and while this might work for the romantics in the audience, it can be rather frustrating for anyone who prefers to see detail and contrast in a scene.

Judging by this image I have a hunch that the lens on your camera might be ready for a clean. The image appears soft and the flare in the left of the image is not even; it appears to being directed by a smudge on the lens.

To clean the lens, find a soft cloth (preferably a very clean Microfibre cloth), “huff” on the lens then give it a gentle wipe.

BIG TIP… whenever you are cleaning a lens give it a gentle wipe and then shift the cloth about to use another part of the cleaning cloth. The reason? If you do happen to pick up a piece of grit with the cloth, you do not want to keep scrubbing it onto the lens. At least if you keep using a different part of the lens cleaning cloth you minimise the risk of damaging the lens with grit.

Now, as for managing the flare, in the example below I just used the Burn Tool with the Range set to Shadows to burn it in. Then all you need to do is straighten the horizon and you are in business.

I hope you find many more sunsets as good as this one. Cheers, Anthony

Image Doctor's edited version