My new favorite thing to do with an image is to add tonal contrasts to an image. While I don’t want the subject to become “funky”, I do want their surroundings to be interesting. I look for an image be felt and not just sit there; not to be flat. Perhaps That is too much philosophy , but that is what I strive to do. Sometimes I push it too far, but sometimes (most of the time), it just works.
Below is an example of that. The first image is the finished work, and below that the original. The original is not much to look at, but by adding tonal contrast to the house and playing with a levels adjustment, you can see the result. It literally is night and day.
