Well you have tried pretty hard to make an original photo and you have combined several techniques to achieve that. You have combined a quite nice composition, long exposure, flashlight and considerable digital manipulation. You are creative and need some practice. First of all when you compose your photo (on a tripod) it is important to have a straight horizon, the best way to ensure that is to look into your viewfinder with your head straight. Here your horizon seems to be sloping down to the right. Flash, especially if you are only using one, never carries very far so is difficult to use effectively in landscape photography. Here your flash creates a harsh light on the foreground rock, with an equally harsh shadow (because there is only one of them) and that light quickly fades in the short distance. Back at your desk you had a few exposure issues which you tried to resolve. I would suggest you try again, your idea is good and there is nothing better than trying over and over with a complicated subject like this. Maybe a lighter original exposure where the rocks remain darker all over would give a more natural result, the sea would be lighter… Or else you could try several exposures if you want to dabble into the world of HDR. Or perhaps you want to play with artificial lighting and you enjoy the long exposures, you could consider long exposure and light “painting” with a spot light/torch/flash…Enjoy.
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