I decided to actually take a proper weekend off from pressing a shutter for once. I spent a good chunk of today just relaxing with the family, having a nice long lunch, and sharing a few drinks.

This shot down at Sandbanks is a relatively straight capture. I used the absolute widest end of the lens to really scoop up those weathered wooden fence posts and the sweeping textures of the sand, driving the perspective right through the dunes. I dropped in a few curve layers during post-production just to tweak the mid-tones and dial in that heavy, brooding mood in the sky.

Right now, I’m battling one of those “will it, won’t it” head colds, complete with a looming headache… I really hope it doesn’t turn into a full-blown thing.

Oh, and while I have the opportunity to add a quick line or two: I’ve had quite a few tweets asking about the processing method on this particular image. All I’m going to say is that while this isn’t an HDR composite, I did borrow a couple of clever tricks from DJN’s latest tutorial to get this specific high-contrast, dramatic effect. You can find the techniques buried in the later paragraphs of his recent HDR tutorial—I also left a comment about them over on his site if you want to track the discussion down.

Cheers… csj

capture date | 14.02.2009
camera | Canon EOS 5D
lens | 17-40mm f/4 L Series
focal length | 17mm
aperture | f/11
shutter speed | 1/60
shooting mode | aperture priority
exposure bias  | +0.0
metering mode | pattern
ISO | 100
flash | no
image quality | RAW
RAW converter | CS3
cropped? | no