I’m glad you got such a good, natural-looking result using darktable’s HDR. This is what I initially tried and failed at, so I’ll have to download your XMP and take a look at what you did. I now feel my version is a little over-contrasty/dark compared to yours and others.
Though this is intense I think you pulled it off and made it work with enviable colour control. Impressive.
Cool - it seems to focus more attention on the foreground, with all that detail you’ve made visible. I can’t say I’m a fan of the sky in this rendition - too greyish?
As with @McCap’s version, I’m impressed at how balanced and appealing this is despite its punchiness. I wouldn’t call it a natural look, but it doesn’t feel unnatural either! I very much agree with your notes.
@CarVac, another quality job! The sun’s more blown out than in some versions, but I like it a lot overall.
@HIRAM, wow - very moody. Nice.
@ChasingShadows, what colours! That’s intense. I can’t quite decide if I feel it’s too much for my tastes, but I’m currently of the opinion this could be a very good version if the sky were a little less saturated. I think you’ve nailed a punchy foreground.
@shreedhar, I like the subdued orangeyness you’ve got going on in your two versions. As with some other versions, I feel the darker areas in the foreground (e.g., the green stems) are not quite dark enough to avoid an unnatural, washed out effect. I wonder how much of this is down to differences in our displays.
@Thomas_Do, I love those colours in the sky! It’s interesting to see the crop with the tree and sun located on the horizontal thirds.
@Hombre, I think this version may just be my favourite. The glow you’ve brought out on the flowers is lovely, and it all feels very impactful and balanced.
@DeadMetaler, very nice. I haven’t yet got used to the blue in the sky, but it makes for a striking contrast to the pink of the flowers. I like the vignetting(?) that leads to the attention going to the centre foreground.
@Morgan_Hardwood, and another great result here. Dat pink. I always enjoy the results of your processing.
Thanks again, all. I’ve been inspired and will have another go at some point.