You know, I've spent hundreds of days in the Oregon Dunes and never knew that this trailhead was Dellenbach. You learn something every day.
Anyway, this is an attractive image. I think the fog in the trees adds depth. It's sharp all around. You have great tones and shapes in the sand. No harsh shadows and no blowouts. And, I agree that the settings, though...unconventional, don't hinder the image. Maybe some contrast all around instead...
Do you suppose you could put a gradient filter on the sky and drop the highlights/exposure to pull out even more detail? I don't think it's a make or break issue though.
For me though, it's just missing a subject that would add emotional impact or a story. Of course, there is nothing you could do to change that (short of photoshopping a hiker, or an animal, or something) into the bottom right crash point. I mean, that sand is just begging for a lone figure of some kind, IMHO. You gotta admin, wouldn't it have been awesome for a deer to wander into the frame at just that moment? Oh well, just my thoughts. If I had a dollar for every photo of mine like that...

  Posted: 02/06/2021 22:42:13

Hi Jane, this photo reminds me of some shots I took a long time ago using my Nikon F2 and Ilford film. I think the z patterns in the sand have been capture very nicely. The only thing is the sky to me seems to be noisy. I would consider selecting it and actually turning the clarity down and the sharpness down. It cleans that noise right up, and softens the clouds. Boy just the opposite of what Damon suggested... I truly like not having a figure in the photo I think you have a wonderful subject the fog lifting the play of light in the sand what more do you need and you even have a sense of scale as the trees give that. I would consider cropping from the sky and the right slightly to bring more attention to the z pattern in the sand and maybe increasing the contrast in the z pattern just slightly.   Posted: 02/11/2021 20:20:53

Hi Jane, what caught my eye was the fog. My initial feeling was coldness. I have never been to that part of the country; so for me your photo give me a feeling of what it is really like to be there. Isn't that what a good photo should do? If that was your goal, for me you really nailed it.   Posted: 02/19/2021 09:00:46

Jane I also like that there is no one or thing in the dunes which lets the eye really see the z pattern. I would crop the sky down too where it's lighter (whiter from clouds) making it more a panorama type image. I think then the focus is more on the sand pattern. Lovely image, very calming.   Posted: 02/28/2021 18:04:35