Sun rising over Badlands Overlook

Shortly after the time yesterdays picture was taken, I was focusing on the other part of the sky where this spectacle was happening. Although there was obviously much contrast between the sky and the land, this image is not an HDR. I did it with good old technique. And there are three ways it could have been done. I could have taken a photo with properly exposed either sky or the landscape below and use graduated filter to even the exposure. I could have taken average exposed photo, make a virtual copies and increase exposure in one, and decrease in the other, and combine them using a layer mask. I actually did it in camera, by taking a number of photos exposed for sky and number of photos exposed for land. I used the tripod, so they were all the same composition. Then I picked the two I liked most, and overlaid them in Photoshop using a layer mask. Almost like using old darkroom technique, classic and very satisfying.
All the elements on this image contribute to its lok. The rays of sun, the clouds in the sky- it was a great time to be out, shooting. Well, maybe except of freezing temperature and windchill.