Light and shade

I set out to get sunset on Saturday at a point where a river passes through the dunes but only got half way before being taken by the light on this area.
The late light on the maram covered dunes at a low angle causing deep shadows and patterns was fascinating and immediately had me thinking of processing using Luminocity and contrast.
All thoughts and CC gratefully received

What technical feedback would you like if any? Any

What artistic feedback would you like if any? Any

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

No filters used, just a straight single frame.

I am surprised by how much I like this, Andrew. This is not something that I would have seen/created myself but this intrigued me tremendously, especially with the shape. I like the shadowed area is dark but still with hints of the grass. My only wish is that there is just a little bit more room at the bottom, the lowest point in the shadow/light boundary curvature is somewhat a little bit too close to the edge for my comfort and also perhaps because I want to see more what lies in the shadow.

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Thanks @Adhika_Lie, there is almost as much more at the bottom of the frame so I’ll have a look at changing the crop ratio. I understand it not being your thing, I prefer the grand scene but I’m trying to look at the smaller scene.

This is really well done. I find it a mind bender, as it is so unusual and intriguing. I am fine with the comp as presented. I quite like the tension on the image and its abstract look. Very creative.

Wow Andrew, this is a pretty intriguing scene. It is so unusual to see such a perfect oval shaped spotlight effect like this in nature. Your processing also looks great, I like how you kept the sky low contrast to maintain emphasis on the oval. I agree with @Adhika_Lie that adding a little more breathing room at the bottom would be helpful. And since this is B&W, I think you might even be able to get away with adding a tiny bit more clarity to the grasses to enhance their texture further.

But overall this is a wonderful study in light and shadow, nice seeing on your part.

Thanks @Harley_Goldman it’s an interesting bit of land and I spent far to long there, but I’ll go back :slight_smile:

Cheers @Ed_McGuirk I would love to get it with a clear sky to see how that worked but clear skies are rare here. I have to say I really enjoyed crawling about the dunes looking to create something, I’ll look at the contrast.

This reminds me of a Chuck Kimmerle image. It has that quality of getting your attention due to it’s peculiarity. He often emphasizes the strangeness with creative dodging and burning.

Interesting insight Igor, I had a quick look at his work and will be back when I get more time.

Super. I’m with Adhika on wanting just a bit more at the bottom. The aspect ratio feels right, though, accentuating the length of the bright area of grasses. Maybe just moving the crop frame down a bit would work. And I like the bits of clouds in the sky. They are subtle enough to not draw our attention from the grasses.