Here is the Before ^

The Goal:

In this photo I was really trying to capture the string lights above the street and show off the night atmosphere on this downtown street.

How I got there: 

The sky wasn't quite dark enough to really expose the colorful lights and I couldn't set up a tripod in the middle of the street so through Lightroom I added exposure, contrast, and highlights. Then added a mask to the sky and made it a little darker and tried to increase the luminance of the red and white lights above the street. Overall I am pretty happy with the photo although I know with a little more training and practice it could be better. I was afraid to raise the exposure too much more and lose the detail in the image. (This is day two with my first camera!)

After:

Camera Settings: 28mm, 1/100, f/5.0, iso 400

Camera: Canon EOS R50

Lens: RF18-45mm F4.5 IS STM (the kit lens)