Scene luminance has nothing to do with exposure.

You are proving my points 😄😄😎

if you want to belittle a member then post an image to voice your opinion,otherwise stay out of the thread.

My opinion is that this is just another classic example of

😄😄😄😄😄😄😎

Not a bad image artistically. Pretty good one. However, on the technical side, there's a number of blown out areas. Are they blown in jpeg or in raw? Were you using an in-camera histogram?
With E-M5MarkII it probably doesn't make sense to shoot raw at ISO >400, you could've probably salvaged the highlights blown at ISO 800 (in case they're blown in raw) had you shot it at ISO 400 with the same other settings.

Team,

Why has this entire stupid thread and it's stupid click-bait title NOT been moved to the Dumpster?

I can think of a much better fate than that, grump.

Wouldn't it be nice if not only a deliberately idiotic post be deleted but all it's quotes be deleted leaving only their rebuttals in place? Not easy I'm sure ... if even possible.

Not naming names - they know who they are ...

Hmm, I didn't assert that at all. Nice image, BTW.

I don't do bugs, but I have been known to crush shadows. As a screenshot in the raw processor, so you can see the curve:

Of note, the histogram in the curve tool is the original data presented to the curve; the one above it shows the result. The lowest tones in the image are effectively pulled to black by the low slope at the left side of the tone curve. The original capture is rather low-contrast, not that interesting without the shadow-crushing tone curve...

Edit: rephrased some things...

Nice example! Hopefully not wasted but ...

... hope springs eternal in the human breast ... !

I can tell you why I am glad when sub-threads are NOT moved to the dumpster - because the whole moved sub-thread will be marked as "unread", and then I have to look through it all again, sometimes accidentally replying to something I already replied to. Until it is worked out how to keep read posts marked as read, I find no joy in anything being moved to the dumpster.

Understood and agreed from that POV.

I was being serious -- that's the best macro I've seen you post, and I really like your macros!

post a comparrision image of yours.

another would-be photographer. dont think you have ever posted an image.

you have crushed the blacks all right and the whole image.
is this your best work ? 🙄🤨

That was the intent. If you don't like it, that's your angst...

why dont you just push the blacks in ACR your method is not bringing anything new to the table. and neither is your work.

Thanks GB.

... until now: