After and Before

[rgs]

This is an image from Alaska - Kenai Fjords National Park and Resurrection Bay. It was shot from a boat's (wildly pitching) deck on a day filled with weather. I'm including the original right from the camera after my final result. I hope the comparison is interesting. And, before anyone asks, I did change the sky. In doing so, I tried to use a sky that is similarly lit, that emphasizes the image rather than competes with it, and that is much like the original sky and the weather on that day. Enjoy!

[armand]

It looks nicer but it crosses my line in the sand with the adding of the sky.

[francois]

It looks nicer but it crosses my line in the sand with the adding of the sky.

100% agree but it's just me after all (and, obviously, Armand too).
That said, I like them both.

[rgs]

I understand your objection to replacing the sky and, in many cases, I agree. I don't want to change the subject of the photograph with a spectacular but unrelated (or unnatural) sky. But in this case, I think of the sky as emphasizing the cold, windy, wet, and volatile day rather than changing the image. That sky is much the way I recall the day. For reference, here is the image with everything else edited but the original sky.

[Mark Nadler]

rgs, how you develop an image is your call.  My comments are as a viewer.  Your first image is bland.  The second image appears too hyped.  The third image you posted seems more natural to me. 

mark