Dunes and Clouds

The patterns in the dunes always hold interest for me, and the clouds

helped the sky somewhat. Your comments and suggestions are

appreciated. Thanks.

Stephen, this is really stunning. The sky has a lot of contrast that I bet this would be really powerful in b/w. As far as critique, I am far from expert but I wonder if it would be even better if the top dune was slightly further left? Great image either way.

Steve, this jumped out at me even at thumbnail size. It has a wonderful presence with beautiful shadowing and patterns and a composition that just sings.

Very impressive.  Great composition.  Best Regards,

Thanks very much for the comments.  Sam, I have a feeling that the shadow was guiding my composition more than the top of the dune.  That's an educated guess; I don't remember what was to the right or left.

Beautiful photo, as picture from movie "Diuna".

Congratiulations!

Wald

Wonderful image, Stephen...lovely play of lines and shadow...great colors for pleasure of the eyes...my best

What catch my eyes first here is light and shadow play,lines and texture,impressive nature,no other words.

RC

The colors are just gorgeous--I love the quiet golds against the richness of the complementary blues.  Speaking of blues, the blue tones in that very striking, deep shadow make the image for me; that shadow adds wonderful drama and depth to the dunes and ties the foreground to the sky very nicely.  The tonal transition in the shadow is mesmerizing to me (i.e., where the tones blend from blue to gold on the LH side, almost like a painting).  The other thing I like very much are the sharply defined details in the sand that provide an essential contrast to the soft, amorphous shapes everywhere else.  And, finally, I love the lines in the composition, particularly the shadows and ridges in the dunes that lead my eye in a zig-zag path from the lower left corner right up to the apex of the dune.  This is an image with just the right mix of subtle/understated beauty and drama, very lovely.

Excellent , BR

Ali

I see your point as the shadow is a  dominant feature. I think the image stands as composed. Nicely seen!

Fine work Stephen! Really love the color contrast and the design quality of the dunes!!

Graceful, sweeping lines and beautiful color contrast.  This is really stunning in its simplicity, and I love it!

Excellent composition and tonal range without any harshness, in short a very pleasing image that holds interest without any hints of over processing.  

As I thought this image in B&W is at least just as good, if not more dramatic, using PS5's Image-Adjustments-Black and White with default settings and Blues set to -10. My eye is engaged pleasantly scanning and being drawn to the brightest portions just below and right of center. There is plenty of interest in the fine details, especially with the fine ripples in the sand in the foreground enhanced by the low angle of the light source. Nice Job!

Dan, I haven't tried B&W on this yet; I use Nik's Silver Efex Pro 2.  However, maybe it's because I attended the University of Washington, but personally I like the blue and gold color combination.  It's when form is more intriguing than color that I turn to B&W, and I'm not sure that I would in this case, other than to try a different look.  I do appreciate the example you've made.

Another excellent landscape, Stephen.  I agree with you in that the colour version is more striking than the B&W version supplied by Dan.  I also agree with Elisabeth in that the blue tint in the large shadow really draws you into this image.  The tint is also picked up nicely in some of the sky, and provides a cohesion between the sky and dunes.  Very nice, indeed!

Paul

This is really cool. I would frame that, a big piece in the main room under a spotlight. Todd  Smith.