I think this would be a better image if the shadows were not so dark. As it is the image is a combination of blown out highlights and underexposed shadows. I understand that you are trying to show the rays of light as being the theme of the image but you could have increased the exposure/shadows on one layer and placed the original image in a layer on top and then masked in the shadows which would bring out some details whilst retaining the rays of light.
Thanks for the feedback Mark, much appreciated.
I actually went through pretty much that thought process when processing this in PS. The image looked ok, but something just grabbed me about the much higher contrast ( darker darks, brighter brights) than the more balanced image and i went with my gut rather than my head on this.
I appreciate it may not be to everyone’s tastes though.