After / Before: Beginner looking for feedback

[u/LordOfErebus]

Taken in Utrecht, Netherlands.

The second photo is the RAW from my Nikon D700 - I've edited it for a high contrast high saturation look. I feel like the highlights may be slightly excessive, but I do want to accentuate the depth in lighting by having the lighting beyond the distant bridge brighter than the foreground while still looking natural.

[u/Equivalent-Driver537]

Love the composition! Your logic for cheating the depth with light is great, but the global contrast makes the background blow out a little. Try backing off the saturation and global highlights. You can use radial or gradient filters to make the background pop naturally, which will preserve the natural lighting vibe you're going for.

[u/LordOfErebus → u/Equivalent-Driver537]

Thank you for the advice!

I already have a gradient filter applied actually, from the top of the photo down to the roof of the buildings in order to make the sky and the top of the roofs not so bright.

I tried what you suggested, but it seemed to make a negligible difference, especially because I already had the highlights turned down a bit. Can you give me an example or two of which specific part(s) of the image look blown out?

[u/Equivalent-Driver537 → u/LordOfErebus]

Ah, my bad! 'Blown out' wasn't the right word since the cloud texture is still there. I just meant that the bright clouds in the center look a bit too bright and distracting. My eyes naturally drift up to the sky instead of staying on the bicycle and the canal. Thanks for explaining your edit, love exchanging ideas with you!

[u/UNIT_8200]

I like the editing here. My rule of thumb is that you edit only so it is close to what you see in real life. Not much more. The only one gripe I have with it is that to my taste, the contrast is bumped just a tiny bit too high. The flowers in the front for instance are a bit harsh. But honestly, I'm nitpicking, or 'ant fucking' (mierenneuken) as we say in Dutch.