The scenes above and below are made much more dramatic by the addition of a blended texture layer over the original image.
You can see similar images in Larry Citra’s Photographers Showcase page and also here.
Larry and I are offering a (free) workshop on April 18th teaching how to use layers and textures in Photoshop and Elements. If you have not already signed up for it, but wish to, please send me an email at the above address.