Sense Of Doom

[selig1656]

RSF_8559 edited by Raymond Friedman, on Flickr

Pic2
P1118506 edited by Raymond Friedman, on Flickr

[Manfred M]

Raymond - as a general "rule" pictures of clouds do not make for strong images, even if the clouds themselves look very interesting. They usually work best in a supporting role where the clouds complement a strong and well composed scene.

As for the second image, where there is a large tangled mass of branches, with a single bird; the bird is a strong subject to build on, but the branches are visually confusing and rarely result in a strong image.

[xpatUSA]

Not getting a sense of doom in the first image, Raymond.

1. The amount of light coming through the clouds could just as easily be a burgeoning bright morning.

2. The orange/red color is usually regarded as positive, i.e. not indicative of doom.

One could darken it, up the contrast and change the orange to something more gloomy.