The "contemplator" is too far into the background and too tucked into the corner of the shot for him to work as an anchor for the composition. Also, the midday top-down light is harsh and unappealing and leaves only the top of the contemplator's head lit with the rest of him in shadow.
Thanks at least for reminding me I should change the time in my D700
. I'm very slack at doing this. I notice that my camera is 12 hours behind Australian time.
However, comparing the time of the dawn shot in another thread, which was taken at 5.45am with the same camera, I can calculate that this current shot was taken at 9.22am, which is hardly midday.
Nevertheless, you are right that the lighting is a bit harsh. I can change that to some extent with further processing. It's also true that the figure in the foreground is not sufficiently dominant as an anchor. On the other hand, an overwhelming impression when visiting places like this is of the huge vastness of the landscape which tends to make all figures tiny and insignificant.
In this context the contemplator is appropriately insignificant.
The light, by the way, seems to be coming from the left, partially illuminating the contemplator's back.
