Low Tide at Dusk, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger.

This is an image taken in the China Beach area of San Francisco Bay as dusk was fading into night. The scene shows mud flats at extreme low tide, facing northwest on an overcast mid-winter evening.

I shot bracketed originals and combined six exposures in Photomatix, with some additional hand layering on top in Photoshop. By eye, the scene was more gray than blue—but each of the original frames shows distinct blue tonality.

For comparison, here’s a monochromatic version of the scene:

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Here’s an HDR image looking in the opposite direction:

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Related story (same location): Lonely Islet.