I took an older image to process. I tried to make this one a bit painterly, Did I succeed ??
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Ben, WOW. Just wow. Love the lighting, love the arrangement, love the colors. You have a knack in processing this type of scene.
Unqualified Yes to your question. This is so lovely and evocative. Thanks for sharing it.
Exceptionally fine image. Love the dreamy, mysterious look. Your processing and comp. look great to me.
Gorgeous scene Ben. You seem to always do a great job with these. I have a very difficult time with them This one really shines (no pun intended).
Nice work, Ben. For some reason I really like the small sapling between the trees.
Ben, you succeeded nicely with this image, it doe shave a very painterly feel. It’s very moody and mysterious. The colors and contrast look perfect here.Did you use some type of Orton effect to create softness/glow here?
I go back and forth on the small sapling next to the right-most tree. I think I would like it better if it had full separation from the big tree, but since it merges so much I might try taking a look at a rework with it cloned away.
Ben,
You most certainly succeeded in presenting a painterly scene. This looks like it’s right out of an illustrated story book of an enchanted forest.
Wonderful imagery.
Lon
Love this image Ben. I’m spending a lot of time shooting in forests lately and at times it can be difficult to capture all the magic of being there. This image is mysterious but very soothing, and the light rays give it a triumphant quality.
Regarding your edit - when I think ‘painterly’, I think a little bit dreamier and a little less contrasty, but that is just me. What do you think of my edit? Just a little brightening of the shadows, warming and taming the highlights, and a little less contrast. I also fooled around with clone stamping the somewhat ‘controversial’ sapling! 
Nice rework, Sean. I think you’re on to something.
Ben, this is on of my favorites that you have posted. I really like the shadows and overall processing of this scene.
Beautiful, Ben. Lovely ethereal light and you nicely achieve the painterly look. No suggestions here, I very much enjoy it as posted.
@Adhika_Lie @Igor_Doncov @Ed_McGuirk @Dave_Dillemuth @Lon_Overacker @Harley_Goldman @Dave_Dillemuth @Kathy_Barnhart @Alan_Kreyger @Sean_Meehan
At first Thought I did ask the wrong question "
After reading all your very nice comments. I think interpretation of an image is a very personal thing.
You gave me Painterly, dreamy, moody, mysterious , wonderful , it shines, color and contrast perfect, a little less contrast wanted.
I don’t see the need to separate the sapling from the tree.
I did not use a Norton effect to get the effect but the frequency separation in Tk7 action from @Tony_Kuyper and my video teacher @Sean_Bagshaw.
I am very grateful for your comments, edit and time.
It all keeps me going in trying to better my photography.
This is quite cool (in the good, not cold way). I think you have achieved the aim of creating a painterly effect really well. It’s quite an evocative image. Nicely done
Wonderful light in this image, and I really like the composition with the three trees. I like the contrasty look in the original edit as I feel like it does a better better job of accenting the soft light coming in against the trees.
My only suggestion would be to dodge in a bit more light into the left background of the image (the area to the left of the third tree). Also, I saw that you said you did not apply an orton effect to the image. I would be curious to see how the image would look with an orton effect applied, so might be worth checking out.
