Tag: Dunes

The Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, March 2021, Part 4

We returned to the dunes in the early evening for sunset photography and I struggled to find satisfying compositions.  Maybe we were not in the optimal location for this shoot.  There were low clouds on the western horizon, which also blocked the sunset light.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021
Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

As we were giving up and beginning to hike back towards the parking lot, there was a sudden and brief break through of light.  My son, being much younger and more fit than I, ran to the west to catch the fleeting light, while I walked as fast as I could, hoping to get to a good vantage point before the light was gone.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

I think the image above is the best one the I got during this outing.  I was still far from the best vantage point for the best light, but I knew the light was fading fast and I had to stop and shoot now.  I got low to catch the dim light in this grassy patch of sand with the fading light on the dune in the background and the interesting clouds over the dune.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

After the light faded from that dune and illuminated the mountainside to the east, I pointed my camera in that direction to get this final shot.

Stay tuned for our final morning in the dunes,

Ken

The Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, March 2021, Part 2

I continued to wander around in the Great Sand Dunes early the first morning of our March 2021 visit, looking for good compositions.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021
Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

The icy rim along the ridge in this dune caught my eye.  I like the way that icy ridge leads the eye from the left corner of the frame to the long ridge, which in turn leads the eye into the upper part of the image.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021
Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

I’m always looking for objects with distinct shadows and these chunks of frozen sand, that lie along the edge of a dune, add interest to this image.  The edge of the dune acts as a leading line from the lower right towards the upper left.  This line is more brightly lighted than other portions of the image and acts as a diagonal dividing line in the image.  Notice how the sand details, visible texture and light change as the eye crosses this diagonal.  The darkness in the clouds and the shadowy, distant mountains create a strong contrast with the sunlit sand.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

A series of circular features breaking the ripple patterns in the sand made me stop to take this photo.  I’ve converted the original color image to monochrome, since I think this image with these features is more dramatic in black and white.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

This small piece of “driftwood” breaks up and modifies the wind created ripples in a dune.  I put quotes on “driftwood”, since I’m not sure that this is the proper term for how this chunk of a tree got here.  Maybe it blew in via wind or maybe it  was washed here by water?

I’ll have more to say about making this image in a subsequent post.

Until then stay well and safe,

Ken