Sunrise over the Dunes

Took this one in a recent trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Not a single cloud in the sky during the blue hour and was sure that it was going to be a bust with blue skies for sunrise. When the sun started to to rise, the sky exploded with hues of pink and purple which forced me to rethink what I was going to shot.

Gorgeous sky, Jose. I’d be tempted to remove the flat foreground and start the image right at the dunes. The foreground seems to pull my eyes down and dam up all those nice leading lines in the dunes.

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Jose, the limited land and the lovely color gradations in the sky look great. I especially like the textures in the dunes. Having similar widths for the grass, dunes and mountains lets the grasses contribute nicely.

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Thanks for the comment @Dennis_Plank . :slight_smile:
I have tried removing the grass but don’t like how the photo comes up. I think the grass gives an extra layer of texture and a sense of depth.

Gorgeous light along with a lovely gradation of color in the sky, Jose. Did you happen to shot any horizontals of this scene?

What a lovely, delicate color and gradation. Mountains and dunes add lots of interest. Maybe if you don’t want to take out the grass you could try darkening it a little? Or cropping just a little from the bottom? Everything else is so elegant, so I think the grass is a little scruffy. Maybe that’s a good thing, not sure!

Thanks @Ed_Lowe. This photo is a panorama of 4 horizontal shots so, yes I do have an horizontal of this scene.

Thanks @Kathy_Barnhart, that’s a good suggestion. The grass has been one of my biggest doubts about this photo. I’ll try darkening it and maybe reduce it detail.

very nice scene, Jose! the layers of contrasting textures and colors really make it special. Personally, I like the light colored grasses in the front as they provide a sense of depth in the scene and emphasize the layered effect. the transition of colors in the sky is very smooth and real also. The large version is especially nice because you can see all the detail in the grass, hills and mountains.

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