The Keys
How much computer manipulation should a photo-artist do to the original image? As much as they want is the answer. Just recording the scene is not enough to create stunning images. It often requires modifying the results from the camera in the darkroom or the computer to achieve the photographer’s vision. Ansel Adams was known for his photography but also for the zone system that made the manipulated results more stunning. He would work the prints form the same negative a number of ways in the darkroom before he got the result he wanted. http://www.anseladams.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=22
This sunset silhouette has a lot of potential. The prow of the boat is nicely placed pointing into the sunset. The islands on the horizon do a nice job of adding interest. I like the way the texture of the water surface complements the patterns in the cloud formations. The photographer has just enough tone detail in the boat to prevent it from becoming a solid dark mass.
I would like to make a few suggestions to the photographer. The first thing I notice is that the horizon is not straight. It is important that this line on seascapes be as horizontal as possible, the eye will detect the slightest tilt. Another concern that can be easily corrected is the black dot in the clouds. This may have been caused by dirt on the lens or the CMOS sensor. With a little cloning in the computer this can be removed.
The photo-artist can do a great deal to enhance the colors in the sunset. Every time an image is transferred from one format to another the color saturation will shift, that is to say what you see in the camera will change a little when it is moved from to the computer, and change again when it is published on the web and again when it is printed. So you need to manipulate it until it is as you prefer for the final medium it will be presented in.
Click on Image 
Marked Up 
Modified more Gold 
Modified more Red 
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