Bold Contrast+Vivid Color+Sureal Lighting Effects= Beautiful photo but sometimes overexposure

The technique I used to boost the vividness of the colours in this image requires a RAW processing tool that is able to switch between a Curved Tonal Curve (the usual way that cameras automaticaly do prior to even displaying a pic on the LCD), and a Liniar Tonal Curve (the way digital sensors ACTUALLY read the light, but looks weird to us, so cameras always do this conversion).
Spacifically I use Canon's Digital Photo Professional program to process the RAW files of my images... there I make many of my tweaks to an image before sending it to Photoshop; it has this function to change the Tonal Curve.

So, once changed to a Liniar tonal curve, the image often becomes significantly darker, but now shows details-galore in the bright areas of an image ((but of course, way-overexposed areas will ALWAYS not have enough data to show up detail, thats why its so important to expose things properly)).

To bring the image back to a brightness similar to the origional image, like what you saw when taking the shot, use the RAW processing tools Exposure tool to boost exposure... this often needs to be pushed nearly to full (which is why some highlight areas often get completely blown in the final image!, but it's a small price to pay for the wonderfull effect and vivid colour this technique adds to an image,... sometimes sacrifices have to be made to make an image extra special!)

Then fiddle to taste the Brightness and contrast settings, and maybe whitebalance to desired effect, and give a lil saturation boost if needed (the above technique already boosts saturation a bit, which is part of the point of this Tip-Trick.. adding saturation afterwards is up to taste)

...Then output to Photoshop and run through your regular routine, adjusting contrast, brightness, saturation (of spacific colours helps, lik in this image the blues spacifically were one targeted boost), and whatnot...
.... and presto!, bold, vivid, wild image!*

*- But caution, this technique does not work in all situations; on human faces and things, this technique can make skin look weird... especially when you boost the exposure, as it would make highlight areas glow and shaded areas not work so well... it often doesnt work on people photos (but I HAVE made one that did turn out quite well with a person...)... it's really a trick that works only in certain kinds of situations... like in nature, where colours and highlights CAN be adjusted to artistic extreams and still look appealing, wheras a person and their skin tones would be thrown out of whack, and would look odd in most cases.... it's basically classifiable as an 'Artsy' effect!

Enjoy! (and let me know if you like my work with said effect, and if you've used, and the results, of trying this technique)
Some examples of this trick;
http://www.pbase.com/solosymphony/image/67491402
http://www.pbase.com/solosymphony/image/67491404
http://www.pbase.com/solosymphony/image/67491405
http://www.pbase.com/solosymphony/image/67491660
http://www.pbase.com/solosymphony/image/67491745
http://www.pbase.com/solosymphony/image/69501165
and all the first three of; http://www.pbase.com/solosymphony/redparty2006