Post your Sand Dunes!

[Robert Oliver]

The top image is stunning... love the composition.

[Robert Oliver]

WOW!!!! I absolutely love this image. One of the best I've seen.

Great work

Robert

Wikipedia says Eureka dunes became part of Death Valley in 1994. I'd love to get out to Death Valley again sometime soon. I did two 45min sessions out in Mesquite Dunes in early/mid July. The heat didn't seem insanely bad but I was beyond dehydrated afterwards. My face was also sand blasted raw.

I love sand dunes! For give me if I am mistaken, but I think you posted a photo ElRooster that was color and just of one larger sand dune. I remember seeing that photo in the landscape thread and I've tried to find it a few times but couldn't. Maybe it was someone else though.

I've only shot a few sand dunes on film so far. My favorite is this photo on 4x5 Velvia 50 with a 75mm Caltar. I spent the majority of 2 days on top of Star Dune and High Dune at Great Sand Dunes NP. The first days sunset was blocked by clouds. This second sunset from Star Dune just made it out from behind the clouds with less than 10 minutes to spare before sunset. For over an hour I watched the rays of sunlight work there way across the sea of dunes towards me until I was enveloped in sunshine! I was euphoric! I did use too small an aperture though but I am happy. The 2 hour trek down to the car in the dark was well worth it, hoping one of the two slides would turn out.



The hike up the large dunes was exhausting but so much fun. Mid-day was fruitless for photography, in my opinion. But around 4:30-5pm the sun had enough of an angle to create some interesting shadows and shapes within the dunes. The shadows weren't strong at all (very light) but I was thinking about trying my first employment of the zone system to create stronger shadows and contrast! I focused on finding abstract compositions with my digital camera. I really really wished I had a longer lens so that I could have shot a lot of 4x5 b&w (and so I could try the zone system). I now have a 24" Goerz Artar but I did not then. I like to practice or compose first on my digital camera and use the LCD and histogram as a guide to whether or not the composition might work. The 600mm on 4x5 would have been near perfect. My longest was only the 300mm Heliar which I did not even bother lugging up the dunes.

Ah, best day of the year. Wish I could do that every day!

[SamReeves]

This is such a cool thread. I've enjoyed everyone's stuff so far.

[Arne Croell]

White Sands

[eman]

White Sands, NM

[Jim Cole]

Posted this on another thread a while back, but it fits here as well. This is on 4x5 Provia about 20 minutes before sunset.

White Sands, NM.

[GabrielSeri]

That's awesome Jim! I love the colors and the shapes.

[GabrielSeri]

The top image is stunning... love the composition.

Thank you Robert! Coming from you that is a huge compliment. I love your series very much! Can I pick your brain? What lens, film, filter, developer combo did you use?

[Robert Oliver]

thanks for the props,

Feel I'm still searching out my favorite combo... been chasing my magic bullet, finally decided on tmax 100, but might be waffling again because of kodak's unknown future. bought a box of fp4 to do some testing on.

If I could afford to buy a ton of tmx100 and freeze it, I would... but not really an option right now.

Tmx 100 and HP5 processed in Hc110/dilution H. A couple were processed in D76... Love HC110 mostly because I don't get to shoot/process as much as I would like and it's remarkably stable.

Thank you Robert! Coming from you that is a huge compliment. I love your series very much! Can I pick your brain? What lens, film, filter, developer combo did you use?

[Scott Squires]

Great job everyone! I too love the Dunes. This Image was taken in 2006, in Death Valley. It was a great stormy few days which is rare for D.V.
Toyo AII 4x5, Schneider 110 XL and Velvia 50 converted to B&W in PhotoShop. The color image is beautiful, but I prefer the B&W.