Removing the bright areas from shiny objects

[PhoebeG]

I was trying to take a macro image of some coffee beans this morning and keep getting bright areas on the beans from light reflecting off of the shiny surfaces. I tried fixing this in PE by creating a layer and then trying to isolate the bright areas with the magic wand and adjustnig the brightness on only the bright spots, but I wasn't happy with the results.

I've attached a before (coffee1small) and an after (coffee2small).

I''ve also tried to minimize the direct light hitting the beans but there was still pleanty of reflection. I suppose I could try a polarlizer, but I don't have one for my macro lens.

Any thoughts on how to pp this better in PE 5?

Thanks,

Phil G.