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Lawrence of Arabia
2nd PlaceLawrence of Arabia
Sammie


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Scene It! (Basic Editing III)
Camera: Canon EOS-30D
Lens: Canon EF 28-200 f/3.5 - 5.6 USM
Location: Great Sand Dunes Nat'l Park - near Alamosa, CO
Date: Aug 28, 2006
Aperture: F5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/1000
Galleries: Travel, History
Date Uploaded: Aug 29, 2006

 Gosh! This must be a dream and I've yet to wake up - I've won two ribbons back to back - seems almost impossible for me. I feel like I must be dreaming I'm scalvert or Kiwiness or someone who wins more than one ribbon in a week!

Thank you very, very much everyone. It is such an honor to have you give such high scores to my picture and leave such wonderful, kind comments. I feel on top of the world.

When I was editing these pictures, the blue jeans stuck out right away. I was really wishing we had brought another color pants for my husband to wear while posing at Lawrence. He is a jeans man though and hardly EVER wears anything else. I was amazed that he would actually dress up with a sheet and belt on his head and walk up a dune!

I did desat the blue and cyan channels a bit to try and take the color out of the jeans but couldn't desaturate them all the way as then the shadows on the dunes went completely flat - they have a lot of blue in them that you just don't realize is there. In an advanced editing challenge it would have been no problem but in basic changing just the jeans was impossible without making the shadows change too much.
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Editing: Crop; adjustment levels for levels, curves, hue saturation (increase yellow & red - decrease blue and cyan)& contrast; flatten; exposure tool-reduce gamma; shadow/highlight-increase midtone contrast; helicon noise filter; resize; smart sharpen; save for web.

My husband and I went to the Sand Dunes this past weekend - both days. On Saturday, it was raining so hard we couldn't even get out of the car so we went back on Sunday (thank goodness we live so close). It was a beautiful day and much easier to walk on the sand when it had gotten so wet the day before. I brought an old sheet along and a woven belt hoping that my husband might want to dress up for me to take some pictures with him as Lawrence of Arabia. There were so few people around that he actually did dress up! I thank him very much for doing that for me. I wish I would have had a nice camel to use a a prop but, ALAS, I don't!

The pictures I took of him walking up a dune & then standing on top really are what I had envisioned in my mind's eye. We brought our little walkie talkies so I could tell him to stand this way and that & when to come back down when I was done taking pics. It was too far away to shout and besides it is always so windy at the dunes that you can't hear anything but the wind most of the time.

Here is an outtake from the same photo session - it didn't seem sandy enough and my husband's jeans were even more obvious.



I watched the movie Lawrence of Arabia one night on the late movie and thought it was interesting. Then not that long ago on TLC or Discovery I watched a show called the true story of Lawrence of Arabia. That was a very interesting show - there were some pictures almost like this one. After watching that show about the real Lawrence of Arabia I don't really think Peter O'Toole fit the role that well. However, when I watched the movie I thought he was quite good.

The movie and the real life of Lawrence of Arabia speak of a lot more than just the surface story. It is a whole commentary on a European man in an Arabian world and how he fits in -in some ways but doesn't really fit in even though he longs to fit into their world as he identifies with it very much.

Statistics
Place: 2 out of 99
Avg (all users): 7.2284
Avg (commenters): 8.2000
Avg (participants): 6.4464
Avg (non-participants): 7.3458
Views since voting: 11800
Views during voting: 724
Votes: 429
Comments: 60
Favorites: 7 (view)

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AuthorThread
 09/12/2006 02:27:10 AM
awesome shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/12/2006 12:41:10 AM
Great photo captured my friend . Tones and composition is excellent . Thanks for share
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/08/2006 12:41:57 PM
Wow... love this picture. You have captured the mood of the moovie so well, well done... Congrats on your ribbon :o)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/08/2006 11:03:00 AM
Great shot. Congrats on the red ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/08/2006 09:17:13 AM
Great job. This is a beautiful shot. Congrats!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/07/2006 05:29:16 PM
Congrats on your ribbon, great shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/07/2006 04:07:10 PM
I think the outtake is superior, but I really love both of them. Great work!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 09:22:57 PM
Wow, your on a roll! Congrats to you!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 06:10:39 PM
Congratulations on your well deserved Ribbon!! Awesome shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 06:09:29 PM
Great job Sammie!! Love your work! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 01:19:59 PM
Got to love those dunes, Sammie, keep it up!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 01:17:59 PM
Two ribbons in one week! Awesome and you keep getting better all the time. Congratulations and I am really, really proud of you.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 11:16:26 AM
Sammie, congrats on the ribbon - second in a row!
Just out of curiosity, if you saw the blue jeans thing - why didn't you simply desaturate the blue color?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 10:00:04 AM
two ribbons on the front page Sammie...legendary hall of fame status awaits you!!! well deserved
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 09:08:10 AM
Congrats on your Red! This was one of my 2 tens!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 08:29:35 AM
Congratulations on your ribbons! This is an awesome image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 06:46:54 AM
That's it, girl...I'm coming to plant some grass seeds in those dunes...no fair!!! ;) Seriously, congrats...I'm so proud for you and thrilled that you won back-to-back!!! Keep it up!!! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 03:53:56 AM
congrats sammie! i sound like a stuck record ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 03:52:03 AM
Congrats Sammie!! Well deserved recognition....this is awesome!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 01:49:03 AM
It touches so close to this movie. Very well done. Congratulations on your Red.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 12:43:35 AM
cool!!! I picked you as 'red' winner from get go!!!! congrats!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 12:37:08 AM
My goodness Sammie, you're having a great week ;-) This is another really outstanding shot. Congrats on your red.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 12:33:38 AM
Congrats on your second in a row!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 12:20:51 AM
I notice Jack has shoes on ;) Sammie, we definately need to do the dunes together again. Another dunes ribbon, fantastic.... Great shot again...Van
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 12:19:58 AM
Congrats on your second straight ribbon! Great pic!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 12:18:56 AM
Outstanding. I agree with this as a ribbon. BRAVO!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/06/2006 12:10:41 AM
people sure love dunes around here...congrats!...always well deserved
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
09/05/2006 02:38:49 AM
I'm trying to figure out if this is real- I can't see ho wit is not! ... pretty amazing. Bumping to 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/05/2006 12:35:05 AM
i havent seen this movie, but i can imagine this is an awesome take on it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/04/2006 06:03:08 PM
One of the top entries in this challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/03/2006 04:19:59 PM
Great shot except for one thing: I don't think Lawrence of Arabia was wearing jeans... :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/03/2006 02:56:31 PM
WOW! Truly awesome! I love the scale and perspective the guy standing in the distance gives this. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/03/2006 12:17:37 AM
Nice.. and amazing shot.. how did u get this effect? you gota teach me.. 9 for me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/02/2006 03:13:23 PM
i like the smoothing of the back dune it adds an interesting effect. not sure how hard it would have been to find a similiar location but one with out the distracting sand element in the foreground, or else tried a lessened background effect in the foreground. Like your comment on the westernization of the Middle East with the jeans on.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/02/2006 07:33:55 AM
Well done (but I'm not sure about the blue jeans ;>รพ )
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/02/2006 07:02:40 AM
Bravo,10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/01/2006 10:10:36 PM
If not a ribbon, certainly a top 10. If not, you were robbed.

What more do I need to say?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/31/2006 11:24:30 PM
Wow would have been a ten but no camel but still my highest scoring photo yet. good job
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/31/2006 11:04:41 PM
Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/31/2006 09:59:53 PM
nice composition and colors.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/31/2006 07:32:45 PM
Well done, great idea!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/31/2006 02:53:52 PM
amazing, love the light and how it feels so large. only thing i can think of to improve the shot would be to have had a wider angle to really give a movie feel.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/31/2006 12:42:24 PM
Wow. I don't know if this incorporates the actual movie or not...but it's a very cool shot! Well composed, great lighting and contrast, fun to look at. Nicely done. Good luck in the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/31/2006 05:16:32 AM
Lovely composition and light, well done :o)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/31/2006 12:51:05 AM
Aw. wish it hadn't been bluejeans.... Good concept tho.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 04:59:00 PM
Well done, not taking anything away for the blue jeans,
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 02:09:21 PM
Very nicely done. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 01:13:10 PM
best picture here in this contest....10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 12:32:22 PM
strong image !! very nice...8 !!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 11:59:41 AM
Wow. good job
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 11:08:12 AM
Great lighting on these dunes. Well done
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 10:43:36 AM
Impressive shot/location. Bumping up.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 09:33:43 AM
Lawrence of Arabia whit a blue jeans??????
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 06:48:19 AM
this will be a ribbon winner along with Joey Lawrence's shot...this one might have better appeal with the general voters than Joey's shot as it has no gore...I have to give this 10...I'd give it 20 if I could! Perfect...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 05:48:20 AM
Loose the jeans.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 05:20:13 AM
Wow. Great feeling of space here. Good colours and textures
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 03:50:25 AM
A very cool shot. I love the texture and composition.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 01:41:05 AM
I would guess that this one would be in the first 5. Great job,
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 12:34:53 AM
Oh wow.... this is amazing. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/30/2006 12:30:51 AM
VERY nice shot 10+ got ya pegged for the red..gl
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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