Sand Contours and REPOST

Very nice, Dave. You got great sky against the colorful dunes, seems you handled the lighting well. I know what you mean about side lighting. I've found that Great Sand Dunes has been been a similar challenge, but I think you had enough of the light source to bring it out. If I had to nitpick, I would remove that bit of vegetation near bottom right edge. Thanks for sharing.

I am enjoying the warm tones, contours and lines flowing out to the sky. Real nice take on the dunes. I would lose the dark bush toward the LLC and maybe the plants along the bottom edge. . 

Dave,

Really enjoying the golden colors here.  You've done a great job with the processing and enhancing the tones and contrasts.

The color contrast with the blue in the sky is a great inclusion - although for me it feels like the sky is just a little short.  I'm wondering if a crop off the bottom might work to allow the sky to become more relevant? (even though this is clearly about the dunes)  But it's not just a crop for that reason. I also was going to comment on the vegetation on the bottom edge and would agree with Harley on the dark plant LL.  In the end, I would rather have this as presented with a tad more sky.  If no more sky, a bit of a crop off the bottom.  YMMV.

Great color work from these DV dune images!

Lon

The dunes almost look like brush strokes--a good thing. I agree about the bushes, especially the dark one. This could use a bit more sky, but I like it as presented. The color looks real nice.
--P

Another real nice take on DV, Dave. I think you nicely pushed the contrast within the limits. I like the shapes and contours, and the sky makes a pleasing color contrast. Well done.

I find this to be a pleasing image. I would back off a bit on the dune saturation but that's a personal preference. 

Thanks for the helpful comments. This version has more sky (I had cropped down in the original) and cloned out some of the bushes in the lower left.

You nailed it with the repost, Dave. The subdued lighting has brought out some beautiful undulations and color in the dunes in this scene. This has a nice combination of warm and cool colors. You and Harley really hit the mother lode on your trip. Awesome work.

Ed

Dave, I love the repost!! Fantastic work!  Nick

I definitely prefer the repost version, Dave.  The additional sky makes a big positive difference. I'm also glad you didn't remove all the bushes as well because they give a sense of scale to the image.  A very nice image.

Great composition Dave. Really love the silky lines and the muted colors of the dune. Very appealing picture. Keep up the good work