204. Gemini

‘Until the Very End’ - Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, Fiordland National Park, Southland, New Zealand
photo by William Patino
website - www.williampatino.com
original image - https://i.redd.it/hul735vv9kv61.jpg

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Otherworldly. Definitely check the original image. It's in the portrait format, and it's crazy good. I had to crop it to landscape for the wallpaper, so I did the best I could.

I got rid of some of the rocks on the right for a better composition, enhanced the colors and the contrast, and got rid of the excess bloom.

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192. A Postcard

Unknown location
photo by Ismail Niyax
website - https://unsplash.com/@ismailniyaz
original image - https://unsplash.com/photos/E328aPWyD_k

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Looks like one.

There was something strange going on with the horizon, so I straightened it out.

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188. It's Just a Beach

‘If Only We Could Turn Back Time’ - Piha beach, Auckland Region, New Zealand
photo by Anna Kwa
website - https://www.instagram.com/anna_kwa/
original image - https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50115566652_99cd219e03_6k.jpg

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But it's also an amazing composition. Enjoy the subtle waves in the foreground.

I removed some people and a pretty bad halos above the rocks.

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172. Inversion

’Natural Networks’ - unique rock pattern in a beach in Portugal only visible at low tide, Villa Nova de Milfontes, Alentejo region, Portugal
photo by José Ramos
website - https://www.instagram.com/joseramosphotography/
original image - https://i.redd.it/gdd9xm2ulwf61.jpg

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Kind of inverse of this.

Unfortunately, both photos had one thing in commmon: a vignette. Out it went.

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162. Waves on Waves

Ponza island, Lazio, Italy
photo by Ferhat Deniz Fors
website - https://www.instagram.com/fotograferhat/
original image - https://unsplash.com/photos/Ref87M0aSDM

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Another photo for my case against gratuitous long exposure photography. Look how magnificent the sea looks because it's stopped in time. All the intricate detail and lighting. Compared to what would be a foggy mush with long exposure, it's no contest.

I did some clean-up and fixed the blacks as I tend to.

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158. Mordor

Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA
photo by Kyle Adams
website - https://www.kyleadamsphotographer.com/
original image - https://i.redd.it/f47n98pvc4z61.jpg

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Well, it looks like it. Sea instead of lava, though.

I fixed the blacks.

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156. Cold Cyan

'Antarctica Dream’ - Barque Europa at Antarctica
photo by Daniel Kordan
website - https://danielkordan.com/
original image - https://live.staticflickr.com/1736/27537108707_74b5381038_b.jpg

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Nice and calming.

Only fixed the levels.

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147. Double-Oh-Seven

Ko Ta Pu islet, Khao Phing Kan island (‘James Bond Island’), Phang Nga Bay, Thailand
photo by Lucas Inacio
website - https://lucasinacio.com/
original image - https://www.dreamstime.com/photo-girl-front-iconic-island-phang-nga-bay-thailand-girl-front-iconic-island-phang-nga-bay-thailand-image108853462

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The famous James Bond Island, from The Man with the Golden Gun. Unfortunately, most of the photos that feature it are taken midday, resulting in harsh contrast and unpleasant glare. Even this one I chose is not that pleasant to look at, despite the nice composition and detail.

So I decided to tone things down with sky replacement. According to Google Maps, you can't really see either sunrise or sunset from this position, but you can still have the Belt of Venus there, and I went for that. The yellow hotspot on the islet shows that sun was already getting low behind and to the right of the camera, so it should be plausible.

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