Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 280mm, f/22, 1/2 sec, ISO 200

First light across the dunes was a dramatic sight.  The dune directly in front of me caught the brilliant first light of day, while the dune behind was still in shadow.  This moment lasted only a few seconds.  If you look hard at the background dune, you can see traces of sunlight on the tops of the ripples.  A moment later everything was in bright sunlight.  I was lucky to be set up and just waiting for the sun to break.

I experimented with this image to create a B&W version.  I felt that the bright area was just too much in the B&W version.  I like the warm tan sand contrasted against the grey background shadow in color version.  Below is the B&W version.  Choose for yourself.

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