A worthless reference photo?

How many times have you taken what looked like a great reference photo (especially when hanging out the window of the car) only to realize, 'I guess you had to be there."? One evening last week we were invited to tour the lake by boat. Just at sunset I snapped the photo on left. When I saw how dark the photo was and the bow of the boat in the foreground, I adjusted it in Photoshop to the lighter version shown at right.

Millpond Sunset, pastel, 7x5 inches

It was a challenge to keep the evening mood but to add enough detail to appreciate the scene. For a while, the highlights and reflection in the water were brighter but I dropped the value to move further into evening. I started this at the Friday local community club paint session and finished it in the studio. Click on the image to enlarge. It is available at my Etsy shop, BBNewtonART.