This just shows me that I need to visit the sea more often.. And since I live in a country that's surrounded by water, I don't really have any excuse not to do so ;-)

Really like the Topaz effect here. Love the increase in contrast.

Tom: most of the contrast increase is down to a few masked curves, but Topaz Detail does add some local contrast that's almost impossible to add using conventional processing. It's a great plugin.

Claus: I always enjoy going back to Blackpool and strolling along the beach. It's very therapeutic.

I really haven't been focusing on post-processing at all, but your site and the work you do boggles my mind! It is like you are working magic to unlock the true potential of the photograph.

Kevin: it's not magic, but you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned unlocking the potential of an image. For me, there are four types of photograph, at least in the context of talking about post-production: those that you nail in camera (that don't require ANY additional work); those that would benefit from a minor tweak or two (removing dust spots, straightening the horizon, adding a minor boost to the contrast and saturation); those that can be rescued during post-production (e.g. when you got the exposure wrong, on made some other shooting error; and those that are shot with post-production in mind.

This shot falls into the latter category, insofar as the original is rather dull and overly bright, but I knew that I could bring out the detail and add contrast (using curves and Topaz Detail), enhance the colour, and create a stronger focal point (by adding the vignette). The trick with this sort of image is knowing how to shoot a technically optimal image from the outset, one that will be amenable to subsequent post-production. This normally means producing an overly bright image (you capture more data this way), so can seem counter-intuitive at first. With practice though it does become a lot easier.

Gorgeous.. I wish the colour of the sea was that blue... magical indeed... :-)

Great image, I especially like the dark blue tones against the light blue tones in the sky. The introduced vignette makes it look like light is illuminating strictly onto the waves. What surprises and interests me is where you placed the wooden structure, straight up the middle of the image.

Fantastic Dave! The perspective of the composition makes me feel like I am "down to the sea". Beautiful processing. Don't you miss this?

Magnificent photos. Inspiring.

Carlos: no, I don't miss it, but do really enjoy it when I go back to the UK.

@djn1: I must admit I have been largely underexposing my photos because I like them dark. I think you've definitely shown me the merits of overexposing to preserve detail.

I really appreciate the tip! Time to go experimenting!