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Heaven and Earth
1st PlaceHeaven and Earth
Sammie


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Lines II (Basic Editing III)
Camera: Canon EOS-30D
Lens: Canon EF 28-200 f/3.5 - 5.6 USM
Location: Great Sand Dunes National Park, near Alamosa, CO
Date: Jul 16, 2006
Aperture: F6.3
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/1000
Galleries: Sky, Landscape
Date Uploaded: Jul 18, 2006

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments! I'm so thrilled to have won another ribbon. Each one is as exciting as the first. Thanks again to everyone!


My husband and I went to the Sand Dunes on Sunday, I was hoping to find a picture for the Beach Challenge. Usually, there is a shallow river that runs through the dunes which makes it just like a beach and people do all the same things they do at an ocean beach - build sand castles, play volleyball, sun themselves, etc. Well, the river was all dried up and the sand was hot and hard to walk in. We slogged through miles of it until I was so tired I could barely move.

Some big, dark thunderstorms built up and made for some dramatic lighting. I was hoping to maybe catch some lightning but just got some interesting sun rays. I really like how this turned out - it's kind of dark but I love how the light looks. You can really see the lines of the rays; also, the lines of the dunes where the light is hitting them.

Editing:Crop; Adjustment layers at 67% for levels, curves, saturation and contrast. I worked a lot with curves - since I'm not really sure how it works I pull the line around a lot and then start over a lot when it gets yucky looking. After flattening: Noise Removal with Helicon Filter; resize, smart sharpen and save for web.

Statistics
Place: 1 out of 447
Avg (all users): 7.1355
Avg (commenters): 9.0000
Avg (participants): 7.0094
Avg (non-participants): 7.2593
Views since voting: 10131
Views during voting: 313
Votes: 214
Comments: 57
Favorites: 34 (view)


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AuthorThread
08/01/2006 10:48:17 PM
Very nice shot I must say!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
08/01/2006 09:21:39 AM
Sammie,
Great shot. Wonderful balance in tones. Very bold, mystic, I love the light, very expressive. Very exceptional work. Keep shooting, we want to see more. Congradulations on winning, well deserved.
Byron Gates, Jr.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/30/2006 06:52:55 PM
Wow!!! Congratulations on your well earned BLUE.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/28/2006 12:54:40 PM
This is such a wonderful image!! Love it! congrats on the blue
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/27/2006 06:58:42 PM
i had this one picked for top ten at least. nice work and congrats !

your finishing score is about where mine started - errr ;}

  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/27/2006 06:33:46 PM
congrats on the blue!! beautiful use of lines :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/27/2006 10:29:04 AM
Wow! Very beautiful shot. Congratulations.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/27/2006 09:41:21 AM
Beautiful shot. Congrats on your blue ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 05:37:16 PM
This is really lovely! I love the effect of almost movement in the sand.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 03:38:15 PM
Congratulations on your ribbon, Very good shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 02:28:27 PM
WOw a beautiful image!! It kind of looks like your under water somehow...I LIKE IT.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 11:36:11 AM
Way awesome capture. The range of shadows and tones is amazing. Congratulations :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 11:18:34 AM
Yea Sammie!!! This is such a beautiful shot! Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing some more ribbon winners from you!! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 10:59:40 AM
Congratulations Sammie on another blue ribbon and a really great photograph. You make the dunes exquisitely beautiful and me proud.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 10:57:26 AM
beautiful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 09:45:35 AM
Awesome! Congrats on the ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 07:43:53 AM
This is a great shot, worthy of 1st!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 07:38:55 AM
Congratulations Sammie! I love your dune pictures and this one is stunning, as always! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 07:16:32 AM
Sammie, you're the best!!!! We should have been there with you. What a fantastic shot and well deserved "Blue". Van
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 06:54:03 AM
This is spectacular, cogratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 05:37:11 AM
Well done Sammie...this ribbon was well deserved. I gave it an 8, wish I went the whole hog and gave it a 10!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 04:43:07 AM
Wow man, what a great shot! Congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 03:24:58 AM
Congrats on your blue.
Lovely landscape. Great contrast. Good find
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 02:36:02 AM
Really beautiful and dramatic image, Sammie. Congratulations on your blue ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 02:01:09 AM
Oh, Sammie! I was meant to ssee this tonight, I think. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have achieved "it".
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 02:00:52 AM
Congrats on another Blue Sammie ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 01:44:12 AM
Great example of being in the right place at the right time.
Times like this, one could just sit and admire and forget one has a camera in their hand! Well done and congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 12:58:44 AM
Yay Sammie! Congrats on the Blue!! Love the drama in this.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 12:55:51 AM
Love the austerity of this one, so glad the voters rewarded it so well!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 12:54:16 AM
Oh, that's some kind of sweet :-) Really, really nice work, especially for basic editing where you can't control the sky as well. You go!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 12:32:23 AM
What a stunning shot this is, congratulations on a well deserved blue.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 12:22:22 AM
Sammie - I am thrilled for you. You make magic with your photos of the dunes. I am always so impressed with them and each time you use the dunes as your subject, the results are spectacular. Awesome!!!

Becky
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2006 12:13:25 AM
Amazing, I am glad a picture like this won. Beautiful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
07/25/2006 06:02:37 PM
This is simply beautiful. My favorite so far.

Back again...been through 'em all, still my favorite. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/25/2006 02:16:54 PM
Beautiful! Lines on the earth and in the sky, the shadows add to this stunning image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/25/2006 01:27:24 PM
powerful image. Nice work!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/23/2006 10:37:37 AM
Superb shot. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/23/2006 09:49:54 AM
I have to say...WOW...Heaven, Earth...and it also looks like an underwater image too, like how water filters the sun's rays...I love how this image just undulates and moves...so beautiful.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/22/2006 06:46:57 PM
very nice - good luck !
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/22/2006 11:41:29 AM
This photo is great, I would love to see it a little lighter.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/22/2006 02:13:48 AM
nice...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/21/2006 08:39:01 PM
amazing, 10. It feels like the sand is underwater with the light shining from under the sea. My only critique would be to have a larger file size. The max is 150 kb and yours is 91 kb. This would have the edges even smother as some highlights on the hills are alittle bit jagged, very little bit :). Here is a link to the photoshop tutorial for preparing images for submission. I hope it helps this si simply stunning.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/21/2006 06:55:15 PM
absolutely beautiful, I love the sun rays and the creamy smooth look, composition and colors are spot on, 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/21/2006 04:41:58 PM
Great title, this photo is very heavenly. Those sun rays a very cool. Excellent!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/21/2006 04:33:56 PM
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/21/2006 08:46:02 AM
this looks great, i like the lighting and colours.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/21/2006 12:00:16 AM
the first 10 i have ever given, great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/20/2006 10:37:42 PM
Amazing shot! 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/20/2006 08:34:20 AM
Nice , very Nice.10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/20/2006 07:07:00 AM
Ooh, this one is very nice!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/20/2006 03:36:29 AM
perfect 10, EXCELLENT WORK.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/19/2006 08:33:55 PM
Nice heavenly rays on the mottled landscape. It could be sand, or cloth, or a body...... Nice.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/19/2006 06:27:05 PM
I really like the shadows and lights on the hills. Very pretty.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/19/2006 03:35:22 PM
wow this is beautiful. the different shades and shadows works well against the rays of light.

-Josh
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/19/2006 12:38:16 PM
really nice but it looks too dark, but maybe is just the lap top
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/19/2006 09:23:55 AM
WOW! I'm speechless...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/19/2006 08:20:53 AM
oh my, this is spectacular! love the title and the rays of light...good luck
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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