Edit Me An Image #9 - Trees in fog - Nov 17

Continuing the image editing thread, 9th issue!

General rules

• A previous round winner presents a busy or just not so interesting image, having at least some potential for different crops or visions.
• Anyone (except author of original image) can edit the presented image, up to three distinct edits in separate posts are permitted.
• All edits must be based on original image, not on another people's edits (of course borrowing ideas would not be a problem).
• Short explanations about your editing intentions are encouraged, but not required.
• Once the deadline for images has been reached, no new image versions will be accepted. Questions and (polite) discussions of techniques are welcome, so that we can learn from one another how certain edits were achieved.
• The edited version gathering most likes within a week or so, wins and its author will start next round.
• On the closing day for voting, if there is a draw in the number of likes for two or more edits, then the person that posted the original image will decide the winner.

Editing rules:

• All "normal" adjustments (brightness, colors, curves etc) are permitted (both local and global ones).
• All geometric adjustments (perspective, cropping etc) are permitted.
• Artistic effects (brushes, textures etc) are allowed.
• No additions or replacements may be made to the main subject matter of the image; non-essential objects may be removed, and parts of the original image can be "moved" to a different position in the image. Sky replacements are OK unless the sky is the main subject. (We are still refining this rule).
• Generative AI must not be used

Get your images posted by November 23. As always, you can vote during the entire contest plus one day after the image submission deadline. I'll post reminders. Have some fun!

About this image: Trees in thick fog on a farm, rural Victoria, Australia. I have my own version of the image where I cloned out some structures, but you don't have to.

Raw file:
drive.google.com/file/d/16Kngiko60QeutJIarDHaYCS27im0Fy1x/view?usp=sharing

A full-sized unedited jpeg attached (default rendering in Lightroom).

HAND.

Misty Moors

Trying for more detail in a classic look but without much vignetting and without losing the fog.

Where am I?

The lens is EF 70-200 f2.8 LII, it's a pretty good one - it does have some vignetting at wide apertures, but in this case vignetting is more prominent due to very uniform fog.

HAND.

The halo (that strange ring) will probably be a result of heavy 'dehaze' or similar filter applied. When I do dehaze +100 in Lighroom to that image, I can also see a similar effect.

HAND.

B&W is often good for foggy scenes
We know that in fog, contrast is reduced as objects get deeper and deeper in the image.
So, to add some more depth into this rather flat original image, I added more contrast to the closer objects. The foreground grass and especially the fence posts are useful for this.
...resulting in a classical look.

I used the RAW image.
Looks best when viewed in full res.

In the GIMP there is a mapping called 'Retinex' invented by Land (the Polaroid guy). Said to be good for seeing through clouds and stuff. So here it is followed by a bit of added contrast:

As you can see, Retinex is not noted for lack of artifacts or perfect tonal rendering ...