There you go I had a quick edit of the shot...
as for the light painting it's something I tried when I first got my camera but it always felt false so never carried it on, to be honest I need a new camera with better low light so I can get more details in the shadows the 6D is getting on a bit now
to me this has improved the shot but looking at some of your other work and the amazing contrasts and colours you employ then i think you should have turned this image up to 11 too
so i've uploaded an example of how i think you could make your photo boom - it may not be to your taste and it may not be the story you wanted to tell but i think it grabs the attention - and i hope i haven't offended you as i know photographers are a sensitive bunch and hate people playing with their work but i'm saying that it should be you not me that throw's the kitchen sink at this image
so my version lacks subtlety and suffers from digital noise but it was just a quick example and not meant to be perfect - just an idea
i also cleaned up the bottom left of the image as those dead branches/dead grass were distracting and looked messy
the story - to me - is one of the lonely cottage and the enormity of the milky way - it says look how small we stand in an infinite universe of beauty - a story of the small and the less and the massive and the more
of course you can turn it down a little but those colours are all there within your original image - we're just pushing them to the fore as we want to see that milky way
it depends what you want to convey though - a 'truthful' image or a piece of art/creative work
let's not forget that the human eye sees many different contrasts and exposures - the camera just one
and post production work is - to me - just as important as getting the composition and the technique right in camera
you have a natural eye but you visit beautiful places so half the work has been done for you by nature but you still have to frame that and capture it and that is were your skills really shine - same with a city night scene as it's all there but now it's up to you to capture it
yes, if i go all pixel-nazi then i can see many artefacts and poorer resolution but that's just us fucking photographers being twats
just a word on your flickr portfolio - i recommend any photographer that wants to compile an online folio to only have a maximum of 2 images of the same scene because the original impact of a great image will be lost as we see another photo from another angle and another photo of another angle of the same scene
an example of this, the photos of the tree at llyn padarn long - you only need 2 and possibly clean up some of the debris on the one titled 'tree landscape' as those awkward twigs are quite jarring and take away from the tranquil scene, as well as looking messy
yes they were there and yes it is true to the scene, but the same could be said if you got in the water and removed them
is your photo 'winter at dyserth waterfall' a composite because i've been there (wales yes) and it doesn't look like that at all and also isn't that iceland in the background
also within the image the waterfall has a long exposure which doesn't seem to have affected the clouds?
i'm a critical bastard, but i think any constructive criticism will always make a person better at their art or give them another perspective on what a viewer thinks of their work - but it's just my opinion
but i am jealous that you can easily visit snowdonia and have seen the auroras
anyhoo - keep up the top work as you have a eye