lightroom - How do I make my images look like this dreamlike picture?

I understand that the post-production process for images like these typically involves increasing the exposure and saturation and lifting the blacks of the image. However, I notice the histogram of this image that I love (and other ones at http://www.cntraveller.com/recommended/coast-countryside/french-riviera-holidays-islands) lack the far-right spike I see in those that I'd associate with lights or highlights. Is it possible this photographer has done anything else – say, decrease whites or highlights at the same time?

Answer

The histogram for this image looks like this:

Key points:

1. Nothing over in the far left — the blackpoint is lifted, or to put it another way, the deepest, darkest color is not black, but gray (and there's not much of that).


2. The bulk of the tones, including a big spike, are way over in the brightest 90%.



3. And, there's also a spike at 100% — that is, fully "blown" highlights.

So, I'm not quite sure why you say "I notice the histogram of this image [...] lacks the far-right spike" — it's pretty apparent. So, I'd say that's pretty much what's going on.

However, there is one other thing: the focus is on the foreground umbrella, leaving the background tower and trees moderately blurred. That background, however, is about ²⁄₃rds of the frame, and has a lot of the visual weight (the geometric shapes of the tower attract my eye most strongly). To me, that blur adds to the "dreamlike" feel you describe.