there have been some discussions on linear response curve and auto or standard etc. i usually run into the clouds near the sun example and i think that may be from the image professor blog. i have gotten some success out of linear response with a photo of a downtown restaurant nestled in between two multi-story buildings. the face of the restaurant is very white efis material that has some cracks and stains. my exposure was just low enough to give it a value range in the high 240's. using the linear response and hand tweaking the curves, i was able to get some details like the water stains and cracks to show up better than using the auto or standard mode. especially when adding clarity. the curve is really crazy looking, and after an hour or two of playing with it and variations, it doesn't seem to adversely affect the rest of the image. so - good thing!