Francis
Like you I strive for a natural looking image.
I guess there are two ways of 'looking' at HDR-touched imagery. First HDR as a style. Second as a technique to overcome the limitations of our camera sensors to capture life's dynamic range.
I am one who tries to use HDR to overcome my camera's limitations.
As I say, Canon users are very fortunate to have ML, especially the auto-Bracketing capability.
Cheers
Garry