Hi Hugo, thank you very much for your observations and considerations! I agree that the foreground is pretty dark - I lightened it a little bit in Photoshop, already. Making it even lighter would not be good in my opinion. First it would look not natural anymore, and second, it would draw the attention from the main point of interest (as you mentioned already: the trees that are lightened by the sun). Cropping the lower part is not really an option - I do not like cutting trees :-) A remedy (which achieves more or less the same effect) would perhaps be to take a lower viewpoint, and tilt the camera slightly upward. Or another alternative: be there 15 minutes earlier, when the sun is still higher, so that a smaller part of the foreground is covered by the shadows of the trees behind me :-) Thanks again for your comments, they are really helpful, and much appreciated.
Hi Hermen, I can't help comparing this one with the previous upload, as this is obviously taken in the same place, same time, but only with a different focal point. For one, the tones in the sky seem to play a stronger part in this schene, but the lighter part is more removed. I still believe that's the main attraction / subject in this shot, but the dark trees and foreground absorb most of the attention, literally fading the beauty away in the background, if you know what I mean. Perhaps cropping a bit off the lower part, creating a panorama styled shot would improve the balance. Either way, a beautiful scene, and one of the gorgeous pieces of Dutch Landscapes.. Awesome place....:)