Ever since I got familiar with Corel photo paint I've spent hours tinkering with images.

Today I edit all my pictures with the Gimp.

I shoot almost exclusively in raw, because it retains more dynamic range and I don't have to worry about white balance. I edit all of my pictures, and tend to almost always sharpen them and do some tone mapping. I try to do what is right for the picture, so if it e.g. needs to be somewhat hazy I don't sharpen and may even blur it a bit.

I do all my tone mapping using masks and sometimes spend hours adjusting the mask to get it just right.

I don't use the term HDR because I don't want to be associated with those super over the top edit artifact laden lollipops or grey pencil drawings (I'll still make such a picture if the picture demands it).

The dynamic range that a picture needs is unique for each picture, generally it should be free of artifacts, one should not be able to tell that the dynamic range has increased. In very rare cases tone map artifacts may enhance a picture.

I love night photography as it often produces very cool results and I find it a relaxing activity. The trouble is that it takes a lot of time for very few pictures, but it's often worth it.

create your own visited country map