Hmmm? very interesting rendition there Rich
...I'm thinking it is a bit toooo bright though
. After opening it and viewing it at 75% screen zoom so it fits on my screen in one go, it takes on a broad brush painting sort of look ? I would go for a bit more fine structure and play with the shadows and highlights a tad more, it looks like you have flattened the highlights a bit? Just ideas, still a nice shot mate and I jknow it was only a desperation driven outing
...boy do I know how that feels
That said, aint she a beauty
and I agree with Peter, M42 is probably one of the hardest objects to do a good job on.
We don't see you around here very often, where do you hang out most of the time?
Mike