[Browser Mike]

It looks like a Summer's Day but in fact it was bitter cold. This is part of the Italian Garden at Trentham taken yesterday.
Any advice or comments welcome.
Nikon D3300 + Tamron 70 - 300mm
1/250 @ f/10 ISO 200 110mm AP.

[Jocko]

Perhaps a slightly warmer tone, to show the winter sun? Personally I would have cropped the LH side, just to the right of the last tub. But that is only me.

[MrB]

Looks like a lovely garden Mike, and one to photograph at different times of the day and year.

Harsh lighting is almost certain to produce strong image contrast, and our vision would probably see more. So, if you want to get a more visual image, perhaps lift some more detail out of the shadows, and enhance the structure of the sky. E.g. -

   
(Better compared at the larger size)

Cheers.
Philip

[Browser Mike]

Thanks John. I have attempted to make a few alterations in Lightroom. Would this effort be closer to your suggestion or am I tending to over process ?
Being very new to Lightroom I am in the experimental mode.

[MrB]

Hello Mike - Perhaps the sky is now slightly beyond a natural blue (in both tone and intensity), but the rest of the image is much improved over the original. Just my opinions, of course.

Cheers.
Philip

P.S. Are you replying only to John?

[Browser Mike]

Thanks Philip. I was working on my second attempt, trying to utilise the suggestions that John had made, when you must have posted your recommendations.
You will see that I did crop the LHS, but also the base to dispose of the bed that was showing in the bottom LH corner. I increased the yellow tone in an attempt to "warm up " the image. I increased clarity to improve texture and have increased and deepened the blue in the sky. All of this done with some trepidation.
I still need further practice on lifting detail from shadows.
Thanks, as ever, for your help.
Cheers, Mike.

[EdMak]

Different take. Ed.

[Jocko]

That looks great to me, Mike. I am currently processing images taken on Tuesday, and what strikes me about them is just how blue the sky is at this time of the year.
Regarding lifting detail from shadow, I too find this less than ideal in Lightroom. I find Photoshop much better. I also HATE how, when trying to square up a horizon or the edge of a building, in Lightroom, I won't let you zoom in. I find myself continually jumping in and out of Lightroom and Photoshop while processing an image.

[Browser Mike]

Very kind of you John.
They do say that Lightroom is worth about 80% of Photoshop, but that the other 20% of Photoshop is where the real magic is done.
Thanks for your advice.
Cheers, Mike.