Woolloomooloo pier at sunset in HDR

This photo has been sitting in my to do folder for a few weeks now.  I played around with a lot of filters in this one and like the warm glow.  The browns give the place some age I think.

I sometimes wonder if I go too far with the editing.  At what point does it stop being a photo and start being a painting using “photo” brushes?  At the moment I’m thinking it doesn’t matter.  After all, nobody is trying to be a photo-journalist.

I’ve put the original (middle bracket, straight from RAW with not even default Nikon adjustments) below in any case. Just as a reminder if nothing else.

Looking at them together reminds me of why I like post processing.  The original just doesn’t give the feeling of warmth from the sun and vintage feel of the area.

One thing from the comparison I do like is that I am starting to learn to frame the shots better…no need for the extreme cropping of earlier photos.  Now to just really nail that composition skill…