John - Pa. wrote:

first thing I did was to reduce contrast as far as I could. Then there
is an option called "Recovery" that just darkens the very brightest
highlights. There is another option called "Fill Light" that just
brightens the very darkest portions. By using both, I think I have
achieved a result that is similar to what my eye saw at the time
without looking too unnatural.

Remarkably well done! This *is* the sort of view I'd expect from eyeballs
alone, and it's impossible to capture directly with a camera.