Self Portrait at the Beach

This is a composite - I was doing shadow self portraits at St. Augustine Beach last week and I also did several images of a starfish on the beach. I was looking at some of Vivian Maier's self portraits in a book yesterday and one that interested me was her shadow with some dead leaves right in the center of her body. So, I decided to move my starfish (greatly downsized) onto my shadow and this is what I came up with. I used a tilt shift blur first in CC, then Topaz B&W Infrared and finally Nik Wet Plate to add a little more texture. It kind of reminds me of a Dune landscape.
Thanks for looking:S3:

In terms of composition, you picked a great location for your shadow. All the elements are nicely arranged to keep the viewer's eyes in the image. I like the texture, too. And the tonal range. The starfish is a great touch and very nicely done. I'd not have guessed it was composited from another shot. It's a creative image that was beautifully crafted.

Perfect heart. :S3:

The symbolism of the starfish and the heart immediately caught my eye! Very well placed and highlighted. I very much like the perspective with your shadow reaching up from the bottom of the image and those lines in the sand reaching down from the upper right & surrounding your shadow. Very creative and well done in B&W!

Love it Cheryl!

Very well thought out and executed! I love the Dune reference, and the sand looks like the surface of the moon. Cool!

Lovely work, great self portrait. Merry Christmas Cheryl, I'll be back in Florida sometime in January. Maybe we can have a coffee again.

Thanks, folks. As the Little Prince says: "It is only with the heart that one can "sea" rightly":S3: Paul, I'd love to meet you for coffee - Micanopy or anywhere you happen to be. Are you still looking for the rail?

Oh yes, I really need a good photo of a rail. :Whoa!:

ditto all of above (except comments about rail....I don't have one.)

Very cool!!

The starfish for a heart is perfect! I like the lines in the sand angling in from above leading to you. Nice textures in the sand. I've mixed feelings about the rocks/sand at the top and upper right of the image--they are a bit distracting to me. A most creative image. Great work!