>>6151816Thanks.
I put it against the rocks because I had this pic related scene in mind where the Spartans are blocking the pass. Not economically feasible but I'd army build just for this.
I think you misunderstood me. The OP Picture
>>6150983 Was cropped (cut out from) this
>>6151782I included it to show the difference cropping can make because you're right, it is a bit of a mess which is why I cropped it down to the OP picture. It's also why the color and lighting seem better in the OP picture because that was the final product.
There are some people who criticize retouching but frankly they don't know what they're talking about. Photographers retouch, its just part of the process plain and simple. Good retouching is a lot like great CG in a movie; when done right you shouldn't really notice it.
Rarely will you get a perfectly colored shot unless you're shooting in film. When you shoot digital it's best to shoot in RAW instead of JPEG because it captures all of the light. Because it captures all of the light its going to blend and come out mudded and kind of grey but you can bring it out in post, which is the whole point of RAW.