I would not have increase the contrast in the clouds either, and I didn't know why until I read the comment about the dunes being the element of distinction. The image does not feel perfectly weighted...... so I would not have noticed the "broken rule" and if I had I would have ignored it also. Nicely done.
Guest
23-May-2008 17:43
anyway you choose to look at it.....it's pure 100% beauty.
I'd go with Derek here, there is beautiful symmetry in the clouds/sand patterns. The tones are perfectly balanced, lower left against upper right, and vice versa. Perhaps a subtle increase in contrast in the clouds would further accentuate this relationship.
This is a superb example of working against the rules!
Zane: Excellent food for thought. Thank you for your most considered opinion. I hadn't thought of it in that way. I guess this day, these clouds seemed such a hue, shape, and holistic match, a yin of the sky to the yang of the earth, that the 50/50 rule could be broken with earth and sky so perfectly matched, so seemingly a part of one another, so gracefully balanced. For me, in this instance, favoring either would seem unfair!
DvB
Horizon in the middle; a curious choice as that implies a certain equivalency between the two halves. I'm a bit unsettled about trying to accept some sort of metaphor between the sand and clouds with any real conviction...
Concept for consideration:
Althought the clouds are utterly spectacular, beautifully captured and delightful to look at, clouds are an universal element that really have nothing to say about the unique place per se as they can be visible at any place on the planet. Visually speaking, what makes this particular place so increbible is the dunes not the clouds. So giving more emphasis to the dunes feels more in alignment with the essense of the place. Just my 2 cents...