Help with a PP please...I'm lost on this one!

Hey all,

I'm planning on entering this photo in a contest for my study abroad program, as you may or may not have seen in a thread I posted a while back. However, I'm trying to figure out the best way to give this image "pop" while reducing the haze near the mountains. An issue that is giving me trouble is the grass plain which is bathed in sunlight on the left of the photo is too hot, while the lower part which has the buildings is too dark. Increasing contrast will either make one part too bright or the other too dark.

I have LR and CS3, what way would you approach this problem. The image is RAW, so I guess I could try a pseudo-HDR off a single Raw file, but it would make it look unnatural.

Should I try masking some portions and burning/dodging? I just can't seem to find a solution. Feel free to do a quick edit and post it up to give me a hand.

Thanks a bunch!

Note that the image I've posted is pretty much out of the camera, except for WB correction.

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

This is an edit I've done, don't worry about the sharpness or artifacts, the raw file is a sharp image through and through.

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

Hmmm, can't seem to see the image. It might explain why you've had no replies. Try and reinsert the image.

It's probably a nuance with pbase hosting. The links are:

http://i.pbase.com …578.v8Xl3sAl._M​G_8127.jpg

http://i.pbase.com …5/2/87735597.vy​5SMa2b.jpg

Here is my edit, hope you don't mind.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Hmmm, as soon as I posted the previous with the links, the images on the OP posts appeared. Weird.

I don't have permission to view your photo, the OPs.

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /o3/25/748325/1/877355​78.v8Xl3sAl._MG_8127.j​pg on this server.
Apache/2.0.58 (Unix) Server at i.pbase.com Port 80


For both links.