Hi Mike,
Most landscapes work best with the sky as 1/3 or 2/3 of the image. Second appears too divided, but colors are richer.
Cant read your EXIF data, and images are small, but it appears you have stopped down for good depth of field.
Compositionally, I think you need more interest in the foreground of both images. While the colors are pleasing, the trees are haphazardly scattered across the landscape, there are no other special features to draw attention to, and there are no other lines, patterns, color play or unique features.
I'd try to avoid cutting off parts of the trees unless they serve to frame the image. In your first image, bottoms of the trees and even mid-trees are cut through. In the second image, you have a bit more preserved on the bottom. On the right you have eliminated the unnecessary element of the lighter leaved tree, but you still have been left with a cut off tree that is not really providing framing.
Keep shooting. Check out different angles. Look for play of the light on the 'scapes. Find a point of interest to lead the eye into the scene.
Move horizon to 1/3, don't frame though elements and be more deliberate in moving from foreground to middle to background. For example - pick a tree and have it 1/3 of the frame on left or right, move horizon to 1/3 and these shots would be great.
Thanks, thats just what I was looking for. The scene looked like it should be a good picture but something was wrong. I especially noted how the forground elements were distracting but didn't know why.
I'm realizing that the size of the photo makes a difference also. The animals on the ridge are bison and the shot is from the black hills. That is a major element in the theme of the scene. With the picture as small as it is, it could percieved as just cattle.
Yeah, at this size they get lost. But I think they may need to make up more of the image. If you were able to get much closer and zoom in, highlighting them on the ridge against the sky might be quite nice. I'd look either to silhouette them, or have the sun on them from somewhere low in the sky.
