Sorry I left it out - I’ve updated my post accordingly.
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Thanks for the positive comment - looking forward to seeing what you come up with. It’s an amazing location.
I like this moody monochrome take on the scene. I was obsessing about trying to capture the colourful and sunny mood, but this feels like a very valid alternative way of looking at it. I see you used tone curves, while I was trying to get away with only the newer tools in DT3, and it wasn’t working.
My take:
RT 5.7dev
DSCF1978.png.out.pp3 (11.4 KB)
This is how I feel it should have been being there.
Maybe it’s a bit oversharpened, but I wanted to emphasize the ferns reflecting light. Other than that, I tried to make it as natural as possible.
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Here is essentially darktable 2.7 (yes, I need to update to 3.0) attempt with just a dash of GIMP in the end.
DSCF1978.RAF.xmp (22.3 KB)
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RT: Basic processing, plus some toning (DSCF1978.RAF.pp3 (12.7 KB) )
Gimp: Local Dodging and a slight Orton effect
Second take, color.
DSCF1978_01.RAF.xmp (11.7 KB) (dt 3.0)
In my apprentice workflow, I almost never rely on the new tools solely, I only use them to compress dynamic range and give every tone a chance to be fairly displayed. Usually, tone eq. and filmic give a more tone balanced image, but still dull to my eyes. When I get to that point, then I start beautifying the image to my taste.
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I like what you did with the colour contrast in the clouds. I hadn’t noticed those streaks of light filtering through before.
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thanks 
Actually this was only a “sloppy” edit but I wanted to participate in this “discussion” because I had not participated in a play raw discussion in a long time and I liked your photo. (Afterall if I upload a raw to playraw I expect reactions too…)
Well, you have the xmp file, but maybe a word about how I did it: I think I used the contrast equalizer, pulled all parts of the L-curve to the top (kind of extreme clarity) and then tried to limit the effect to the sky with a parametric mask.
But as I said, this is sloppy.
I don’t think the dynamic range is that wide. I went for a quite natural look, using ART:
DSCF1978.RAF.arp (8.5 KB)
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I tried it with Filmulator.
I gave it 0.0198 of shadow rolloff, 78 drama, lowered the white clipping point, and then played around with the Film Area until it emphasized the dappled light.
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