I need some editing help

I can't get this photo to look right and I've done to all of my knowledge. Is there anyone out there who could give me any pointers? I can't upload the RAW file. But you can check it out here before it get's flagged.

https://www.facebook.c​om …0748942873&type​=1&theater

Why mess with it? Your friends on Facebook seem to like it. If it were mine, I'd lighten up the buildings and river/pond bank a bit using curves and then brush back in where I wanted it to remain dark. It wouldn't be true to the diminished light, but it would draw viewer interest to the center...

Is it HDR? It looks like your black point is too high, or there has been too much contrast added.

haha Well facebook friends don't know to much about photography and I planned on entering it in an amateur photo contest but it's way dark when printed out. :/

I brightened up your super darks a few times and then lowered the contrast and did a noise reduction. A little brighter and i think the details are still preserved fairly well.

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chuckie365 wrote in post #16018754
I brightened up your super darks a few times and then lowered the contrast and did a noise reduction. A little brighter and i think the details are still preserved fairly well.

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Improvement on the original

I'm actually partial to the original, personally. This one doesn't seem to have enough contrast - one of the things I like about the original image is the darks are dark and make the lightness in the sky and reflections pop - with the buildings dramatic and verging on silhouette. Just personal preference, though.

Wow! That looks great. I like it a lot. I have photoshop but I'm not that great with it. :/ If I could only get it to look like that.

tristan wrote in post #16028193
Wow! That looks great. I like it a lot. I have photoshop but I'm not that great with it. :/ If I could only get it to look like that.

You dont need Photoshop to correct the photo. What program do you use for your processing? Do you have Lightroom?

Tristan, look for tutorials on U-tube.
Take a course offered by a local photographer that you find to work with you're learning style.
You may want to explore HDR for this situation in the future.
Joining a photo club can also provide some mentoring in these areas.
Key thing in my humble opinion, keep shooting, shoot for you and be open to learning from an open minded critique.
Unless someone is paying you to produce an end product shoot for you and have fun with your photography.