Sand Dunes, Provincetown, MA
May 2008

How I did it -
This image mainly lacked contrast, and I felt that the shadows that the dunes cast are important in the composition.  To view the dunes on a cloudy day, without the contrasting shadows, is a lackluster experience at best.  Even the sky lacked contrast, so I began by adjusting levels.  Then, I selected the sky, and did Image>Adjustment>Selective Color.  I chose white, and brightened the clouds.  Then I selected Brightness/Contrast from the drop down menu and lightened the sky.  Next, I went to Select>Inverse, and made a curves adjustment to the foreground of the image.  I added a bit of saturation to the colors, and burned in the edges a bit, with more burning in the area of the footprints.  The final image is more like what I see when I go up into the dunes on a sunny day.     

COMMENTS: 

Roger Urlwin	No Doubt you have done well to recover your shot but I can't help but think that a bit of adjustment on the gamma (middle) levels button to darken things a bit would increase the impact and drama of this. Give it a try Diane and let me know what you think of this suggestion.
Leona Klerer	One would never know the original was drab.  Thank you for the photo as well as the method of brightening it up.  I like the streaky shadows on the sand and the darker area of plants in the back and the narrow strip of ocean below the sky.
Nancy Brown	What a perfect illustration in how to vix a "flat image" -- I'm printing it for reference.  ('Course if you'ld wanted to shoot flowers, you would have had bright sun!)  Lovely composition and image but think I may like the shadows a bir darker -- what do you think?
Joe Zaia	Diane, this is a very pleasant story-telling scene and I compliment your skills of knowing which buttons to push to make it look so natural. I certainly cannot think of anything that would improve it, well, perhaps a tiny boat in the distant water?
Bob Yelle	Ah!  Those dunes are my old stomping grounds.  As a matter of fact, the second set of footprints belong to me (LOL).  I think you did a right fine job making everything pop.  This brought back a lot of memories.
Claudia Bodmer

Member Bio

Member Bio - DIANE ROBERTSON    (pinefield@gis.net) In the mid 80’s, I was fortunate to find a Pentax K1000 for sale in a “used items” store, paying a whopping sum of $35.00 for the camera body, a 50mm lens, camera bag and a manual, all in excellent condition.  Never having owned an SLR before, I soon found that my new hobby was going to cost some pretty serious (for me) money, as a longer lens, flash, and plenty of film and processing charges started to add up.  I took the NYI course, which was really helpful, as I had absolutely no idea how to deal with f stops, shutter speeds, etc. and eventually joined my 1st camera club.  I am now a member of 4 clubs and compete in PSA salons, with 4 stars in open and 4 in nature categories.  I am a juried member of the Cape Cod Art Association in both photography and water color painting.  My paintings are done from my own photographs, and I really enjoy the opportunity to express myself artistically.              At present, I have been retired 11 years from practicing dental hygiene.  I live with my husband and dog in Wellfleet, near the tip of Cape Cod.  Many artists have spoken of the special quality of “Cape Cod light”  and it does seem unique, and especially beautiful.  I am fortunate to have such a beautiful area as a playground.