reflections on a dismal morning

Dingy effect.

No effects on this one. As was.

I suppose you want it darkened, with the tree moved and a blue sky?

No. I would have gone for a bit more tonal separation (a tad more contrast without lightening the sky), but the tree and its reflection are perfect where they are, and the overall composition fine.

And in doing so, you would probably have ruined the atmosphere and made it look dingy.
It's not meant to be highly contrasted, because it's misty. It was actually quite sunny later.

No it wouldn't have ruined the atmosphere; a TAD more contrast is what I said..

Show me what a TAD looks like.

And how does that improve it?

By making it less DINGY.

There's no dingy-effect on it at all. So how does your minor tampering change that?

Dingy is not an effect, it's an attribute. I can only understand the term "dingy" as what to my eye looks dingy (dull, lifeless, monotonous or dreary) and by that measure the "tampered with" version is slightly less dingy.

This is the best that I can do with just a screen capture. As I say, if the original were a RAW file which could be tonemapped it would be possible to liven the image without in any way ruining the atmosphere; in fact it would enhance the feel and atmosphere.

The word 'dingy' in our previous conversations refers to the 'painterly effect', RAW preset or whatever it is that you so often use to spoil your own pictures, and there's no sign of that here. You may well find it dull and dreary, but that is not the same as dingy, and it certainly doesn't need ruining with tonemapping.

When you vociferously rubbish my pictures, it's a good sign, because those same pictures almost invariably turn out to be the most popular and admired ones both on Ipernity and Flickr by (sometimes thousands of) others, all of whom you dismiss as fools and sycophants

You are the fool if you set so much store by the opinions of your psychophants.

I do like some of your photos and have quite a few amongst my favourites,
but a lot of them are quite dreadful, and that is my honest opinion.

Do you want me to virtue signal and pretend that I like them?
I criticise them in the same way that you criticise mine.

How's your face?

Although a handful of those who "like" my pictures on Facebook are personal friends and acquaintances, the vast majority of the many thousands who have "faved" my pictures on Flickr are not, and they judge the pictures on their merits without knowing or caring whose they are. To dismiss all of them as "my sycophants" is therefore unrealistic. Furthermore, some of them are experienced and good photographers, and I at least place some value on their judgement.

I do not criticise your pictures in the same way as you criticise mine. I comment only on those of them that have redeeming features and potential for improvement, and I refrain from using words like "dreadful".

100% better thank you. All the keratoses disappeared completely within a month of my having the cryotherapy; I only wish that other, far more serious medical problems could be treated and cured so easily.