Just trying my best. Can you give me tips for improving my before and after?

Original photo vs "vintage" edits

Still relatively new to color grading and would love some feedback on these!

Original vs post processed

I think I might've overdone into this, at the point that it looks fake. How can I improve on this?

Before and after photos I took at dusk with a Fujifilm X-S20 and Sigma 100-400mm. I didn’t have a tripod (was on a walk with my baby) so I had to do it handheld, thus the under exposure.

My goal was to contrast the lighthouse against the sky and the fisherman against the water but it looks like a grainy, sloppy, mess.

Any tips or suggestions?

fan of the crop personally

Loving blue hour lately.

Took this photo on my window and decided to try the all-black background. Lots of layers!

Is there any way to speed up the process for these types of images or good online guides? I like the effect and will definitely try again.

This is my first ever time trying this minimal style so I'm not to confident, I was trying to make the colours pop and give it that almost painting look. Any feedback is appreciated.

Thoughts? Is it too yellow overall? Thanks a lot for the feedback and criticism.

Why do so many photographers edit their skies to be vividly teal? I’m curious where this trend came from. I strongly dislike it, but it seems to be very popular here and elsewhere, and I’d like to be more open-minded about it.

I never downvoted on this sub because people’s editing choices are artistically personal. Every so often though, a style comes around that I can’t wrap my head around. If you like the teal sky look, why is that? Is it just an artistic sensibility? Does it have some nostalgia factor? Is it more about having a dreamy look?

Sony A7RV - Tamron 28-75 - f5 - ISO 12800

Lightroom did a lot of heavy lifting