It's so dark, the lower third is basically black. I'd suggest cropping a large part of that away, to bring the focus up. It's weighing down your composition. Reply »

I wasn't talking about adjusting your values, I was suggesting cropping the too dark bottom off a bit, so that it is less 'bottom heavy,' composition wise.

And as for "the real deal," that is dependent upon the camera you are using. Some cameras record value levels differently than others. Having seen enough sunsets, I'd be willing to bet that the shoreline was not nearly pitch black with that much light still in the sky... Reply »