I definitely prefer the edited version – although I softened this very slightly and pasted it onto a layer over the edited version at 50% opacity and the blending mode set to Darken. It kept all the great contrast and colour of the edit but reintroduced a small amount of detail into the blown out highlights. A combo of the two is now my new desktop :-)
"I never looked for it, gave it no name; yet I knew it always, when the gift of peace came. I stood quite still for the moment that it lasted...Then the light shifted slightly and the moment passed, leaving me...with the lasting echo of its presence.." Diana Gabaldon
Yeah with that lighting I can see why this was a good candidate for the filter you used. It's cool to see what the work started out like. Thanks for sharing that, it's helpful to learn from :)
'Lisa