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I thought this image of a Buddhist Monk and Temple (Wat) may be of interest. Yes, I used Photoshop on this image...no surprize I am sure.
I took the Temple (Wat) image along the Mighty Mekong River on a two day river journey from Laos to Northern Thailand. The Monk was taken in Cambodia at Ankor Wat. This image really speaks to me. The colorful Monk and the Silouette of the Temple with the setting sun work well together as a composition in my opinion. Each Monk is the same image duplicated several times. I altered the size and opacity of each Monk in Photoshop which is quite simple. The Temple and the Sun are one image which I used as the Background Layer in Photoshop. You can see the temple image without the Monks in my Laos Gallery on FAA if you wish. Other than that nothing is complicated about making this image.
I love the color and the way the Monk(s) seem to float above and beside the Temple as if they are on a journey...the Journey Seeking Enlightenment. The main tennant of the Buddhist Faith, as I understand it, is simply "Seeking Enlightenment" and hence the title of this image.
Although there is much to look at in this frame it still seems a light and simple composition...not cluttered although there are a few elements there. I think it appears uncluttered as there are only Monks, the Sun and a Silouetted Temple for the eye to track.

One of the best reasons that I can recommend photography to others is that it makes you get out there and find things that may be of interest to you. I am a very visual person and so it is natural for me to look at the asthetics of things around me. Some photographers and other artists specialize in birds or mountains or cars etc. I find interest in pretty much everything. I encourage you to go to my gallery I have titled "The Quickie Tour Of My Photography" to see some of the variety that interests me and see if any of it influences you in your work. Photography leads me to discover small things as well as larger things in the world. Perhaps photography and art will do the same for you.
To me the Jellyfish is a beautiful creature. I went to this aquarium because I knew they were there from seeing images and researching on the internet. Also, I had seen images by other photographers that I know. Much of my travel planning centers around finding interesting locations/subjects like this and hopefully securing images of merit in the process. I hope this will help you in your travel planning as well.

Here a single Jellyfish takes center stage. In this aquarium there is a giant tank with several hundred Jellies floating/swimming gently about the space...quite a sight. Every once in awhile I was able to focus in on a single one like this.
Part of the difficulty of making images at an aquarium stems from the fact that you must shoot through thick glass. The lighing in the tank wasn't the problem but rather the reflections from the lighting in the room where I was standing. The solution comes in a couple of parts. First, wear dark clothing...no white t-shirts etc. Second, stand close to the glass...even put your lens with your lens hood right on the glass without changing your focal length on your zoom lens if you are using one. Third, watch for any reflections or specular highlights in the frame as these are difficult or impossible to remove in post processing.

Today I want to share a few images of Jellyfish. These incredibly beautiful creatures are often misunderstood as if they are the sloths of the sea. On the contrary, in watching the delicate and purposeful movements that they perform I was really amazed. Now, I would like to say that I was scuba diving at great depths on the Great Barrier Reef with sharks circling all around me but I cannot say this...these images were taken in the safety of the Santa Monica Aquarium in California. Oh well, I still love the experience of watching these wonderful creatures and photographing them for hours.
The interesting aspect of making images of this subject was in the way the composition changed in the viewfinder of my camera. The jellies float by in this graceful underwater ballet. When you have your composition all lined up and ready to press the shutter release another jelly floats into view and changes the entire image. Sometimes the change is for the better but often you need to wait for the next opportunity. I had similar experiences in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Hot Air Balloon Festivals that I attended and photographed...that is, I'd have the shot composed and the balloon would drift a bit or another balloon would drift a bit and the shot was either made or destroyed.
I hope that you will enjoy these beauties as much as I did taking the pictures of them.

One last image from this photo session. I love photography for the simple fact that I am afforded the opportunity to be "out there doing it". It is so wonderful to be a part of the World that is so beautiful. I have been blessed to have the chance over the past seven years to be viewing scenes like this as a full-time traveler.
Imagery from the media is often so disturbing that I have commited my self to photographing and only displaying the good parts of the World rather than the shocking aspects of it. Beauty is everywhere as is the "grime and crime" aspect...I vote for the "Beauty Aspect"...

A heavy cloud is suspended over the Organ Mountains. These clouds were moving and changing rapidly. The "Magic Hour" of great light only lasts a short time. In this case the photographer has to be quick and accurate as the light and the clouds changes very rapidly. Taking time to change lenses can be fatal in this situation. Zoom lenses work well in this situation...my 18-105mm lens was a good choice for most of these images but there were times that I needed to change to my 70-200mm lens. Being relaxed and not hurrying the shot is vital as is a good tripod for this sort of work.

The clouds over the Organ Mountains drift among the ramparts. These mountains get their name from these ramparts that appear to some observers to be akin to the pipes rising from a church organ. Naturally the light had to be right for this image to be impactful...photography is all about the light.

The Organ Mountains are located near Las Cruces, New Mexico. In photography I believe that the elements of "Location-Light-Luck" play a great part in producing an image of merit. In this case all three elements were met. This was my first visit to this location and, as luck would have it, the location was excellent as was the light. In my experience this rarely happens. Often I find myself re-visiting a location many times before "The Magic" occurs. On this occassion "Magic" was on my side.
Access to this area is excellent. This was one of those situations where you can literally drive up to an uncluttered view of this mountain range..no houses or wires in the scene anywhere. This is BLM Land and it has saved the view for those of us that like pristine views with no sign of "Man's Handiwork".
Vivian and I were lucky on this one...I hope you enjoy the image.