Robert H Clark Photography Blog

White Sands National Monument

The Far Country – White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Apr 262013

Storm clouds clear over the rippled dunes of White Sands National Monument.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This is another image from my recent trip to White Sands National Monument. I made many images on this trip but this one continues to standout for me and represents the kind of photograph I visualized making, even before arriving. I have made three trips to White Sands and each one allowed me to gain a better understanding of the light and compositions that were possible. In my minds eye I wanted to shoot this grand scene. I wanted to express the leading lines of dune edge and ripples as they merged, then melted away, in the far horizon. But I needed the right light, the right composition, and the clouds to bring all this together.

The “choice of the moment” was an important consideration. Just minutes before this shot clouds blocked the light. And just seconds after the final exposures were made the sun was once again obscured. Timing is truly everything and on this day I got it right. Though this image is made up of only two exposures, essentially focus brackets for extended depth of field, I made nearly 20 shots to get it. I did not wait for the moment but anticipated what might happen by watching the movement of the clouds relative to the sun and shooting through this. I set my focus brackets and shot before the sun emerged. This gave me the advantage on knowing what I needed to do when, and if, the lights came on. And when they did I was ready. Everything came together for the briefest of moments to capture 6 frames of the decisive moment. This timing takes some practice. It is a process of slowing down, oddly enough, to watch the events in the landscape unfold. I don’t always get this right and it remains a mindful practice for me. Sometimes the difference between a good image and a great one is fractions of a second. Being ready and able to anticipate, or envision the shot, will often lead you to a wonderful result.

Camera Settings: Nikon D800E and a Tokina 16-28mm, f2.8 lens at 22mm. Image exposed at ISO 50 at f11 for 1/250 seconds. This is a two shot, focus bracketed image processed in LR 4.4 and finished in PS 5.5

Thanks for stopping by today.
Bob

In the Grip of the Wind – White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, New Mexico, Nikon D800E, Photography Composition, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Robert H Clark Photography, White Sands National Monument No Responses »

Apr 192013

Wind blown sand mixes with passing clouds over the gypsum dunes of White Sands National Monument, New Mexico.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Alright, I am going to make a very generalized statement here; “I hate wind”. There I have said it. As a landscape photographer I really do like stillness. After all the wind creates blurry leaves, moving grass, blowing dust, and everything else that can seemingly ruin a shooting outing. And then there is effect the wind has on the temperature. A cold wind is certainly miserable and a hot wind no better. Yes, I do not like the wind. But guess what folks. Mother Nature sent me a note recently and said get over it. “I am going to blow and you might as well get used to it”.

I have been know to pack up my cameras instead of facing the opportunities that wind offers. The wind has tried my patience on so many occasions, rendering me a sulking and unhappy photographer. To quote Catherine the Great, “A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache”. I typically suffer from the latter condition. I am working through this though because it really is my issue. The wind just does what the wind does. It comes and goes, and it blows. Its natural and necessary. The wind is kind of like Mother Nature’s maintenance cycle. She blows in a few storms to bring rain, spreads a few seeds around, and slowly changes the landscape. Nowhere is this more evident than in sand dunes. More so than water, the wind is the force that moves them. Slowly over time, grain by grain, sand dunes move.

Today’s image was made out in the Western Dune Fields of White Sands National Monument. The dunes in this area are immense and generally free of plant life except in the inter-dune zones. I ventured into this area in a windstorm. I faced my demons and marched into the fray. The wind was blowing with an intensity I have not experienced in quite a while. Quite honestly it was really howling with sustained winds of 30 mph and gusts to 50. Out here, alone, I saw geology at work. Whipped by the winds frenzy, the fine gypsum particles were gathered up and blown skyward. Ripples formed, reformed, and moved before my eyes. Sand blew off the edges and my footprints disappeared in a matter of minutes. The dunes were literally moving, and I was moving with them.

Shooting in the wind does present a few challenges. Camera motion and stability is the first one. For this image I jammed my tripod legs into the sand for anchoring support. After establishing the exposures and brackets I wanted I positioned my body as a wind-stop, or airfoil. And then I practiced my patience. Yep, you heard that right. Patience. When shooting in the wind you have to slow down. I would wait for the cycles and lulls between the big blows and fire the shutter. This was made all the more challenging as I was shooting focus brackets along with exposure brackets. I stood just back of the edge and framed this shot to capture the patterns of ripples and the subtle sweeping line of the dune as it moved towards the horizon. Shooting nearly into the sun I caught the rising sand backlit against the advancing clouds. There is both a sharp clarity to this image and a softness. All of this was merged together by the conditions and tendered by the wind. My new friend.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Bob

Journey – White Sands National Monument

Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, New Mexico, Photography Trips, Reflections, Sony α900, sunrise, White Sands National Monument, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

May 192011

Journey, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. For the next few days I will be in Charleston at my daughters state track meet. She will be competing in the pole vault. I will confess that she is quite good at her event. But this year, her junior year, has been tough on her. She has faced the pressure of grades, competing, and some for the first time being under the microscope of expectations. She has cracked a bit under this pressure but has done an incredible job of working through the issues. Today’s world is so different compared to my day. It is just so much harder and our kids seem to face so many pressures that for many of us “old timers” were not around in our youth.

On a daily basis I remind my daughter that her life is a journey and will be made up of many events, some that will inform what she becomes, and others that are just minor blips along the path. Though this year was tough it will get better. Though she did not pole vault well this season it will get better. It can all change in the snap of a finger. I also remind her to try to be in the moment. The path of life is long with many twists and it is simply impossible to see around every curve. Many influences, both good and bad, will pull at you during your journey. Many things will happen that just do not seem fair. But a lot of good happens if you let it. If you let go of what holds you back and choose not to live in fear then amazing things will happen. This is tough for a 17 year old. And as I jot these thoughts down I realize it is tough for me as well.

I do not know what the next few days will hold for her. But I pray she finds the moment and the courage to face down the demons that are holding her. I pray that she steps on to the path of light and lives in the incredible moment of “now”. And I hope I can do the same.

This image was shot on a beautiful morning on the dunes at White Sands. As the sun rose golden light illuminated this beautiful ribbon that traversed the ridge between light and dark. To all my friends-walk the path. Life has much to offer if you let it. Let each waking minute be the your best. Let each waking hour be your best. Let each waking day be your best.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

The Edge of Light – White Sands National Monument

Black and White, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, New Mexico, Photography Trips, Sony α900, sunset, Twilight Photography, White Sands National Monument 2 Responses »

Jan 212011

The Edge of Light, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 4 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image is from White Sands National Monument. When I was at White Sands I tended to gravitate to the south western dune fields. It is an easy area to access yet few people seem to make the trek away from the parking areas. In fact most of the parks visitor’s stay within two to three dunes adjacent to the road or parking areas. The further away from the road the more pristine the dunes. It is an alluring landscape that draws you in, beckoning if you will, to explore it’s subtle twists and turns.

In the late afternoon, just before the sun sets the world of light and shadow meet. Once hidden by the harsh midday sun, distinctive edges that I call the edge of light emerge revealing sinuous curves and soft ripples. From a high point you can trace unbroken lines of light from dune to dune until they disappear in the far horizon. It is not enough though to simply trace these lines. Instead they become a path-a way into the very heart of the dunes. When the sun sets cool air descends to wash away the afternoon heat. All is quiet as twilight envelopes you with it’s soft light. As night falls, the lines begin to fade. The edges become solid forms again-black shapes against the sky. What was once revealed by light is thrust into darkness waiting only for the suns return.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Yucca at Twilight – White Sands National Monument

Landscape, Landscape Photography, Light Painting, National Parks, New Mexico, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunset, Twilight Photography, White Sands National Monument 2 Responses »

Dec 112010

Yucca at Twilight, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Shote with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 3.0 seconds

Hi everyone and welcome to todays post. The image is only meant to “wet your appetite” and ask you to visit the Singh-Ray Blog where an article I wrote on White Sands, along with five of my images, will be posted next Tuesday. Most of you who have followed my blog and my work know that I rely heavily on my Singh-Ray Split Neutral Density Filters. I never leave home without them. I started using them years ago when I was primarily shooting 4 x 5 and needed the filters to help balance difficult exposure scenarios between skies and foregrounds. My desire to get things right in-camera is still prevalent in my workflow today. While I have the ability to combine images in photoshop I still prefer to get the shot in one capture. My basic filter set includes the 2, 3, and 4-Stop, Soft Edge, Split Neutral Density Filters, and 3, and 4-Stop Daryl Benson Reverse Split Neutral Density Filters. The article next week on Singh-Ray’s Blog talks about these filters and how I used them to capture a series of dune images at “the edge of light”. So head on over next Tuesday and check it out. Let me know what you think.

As to todays image it is a classic shot of a yucca out in the dunes. While you can find them all over the dunes it is sometimes hard to find them in good condition or without a lot of footprints around them. Getting out and away from the parking areas will yield some good results. this plant has already bloomed and has left behind the beautiful orange color seed heads. The idea of cool and warm colors is exhibited in this image. The cool blue colors of the sky are reflected in the dune shadows and compliments the warm colors of the grass and the seed heads. To help me warm up the yucca I used my 200 lumen flashlight on the yucca during the exposure. The technique is pretty simple. You can’t just shine the light on the plant as it would overpower the effect and cause some severe shadowing. The best way is to hold the flashlight in one hand and shine it through the fingers of the other hand. As you do so move your fingers s this helps deflect and soften the light striking the plant. Additionally, move up and down your subject so as not to concentrate too much light in one area. Done correctly it should have a natural appearance. It is a great techniques to use at twilight to help add light to a darker area.

Thanks for stopping by today. Don’t forget to check out my other shots next week over on the Singh-Ray Blog.

Bob

Twilight Sunrise – White Sands National Monument

Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, New Mexico, Photography Trips, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunrise, White Sands National Monument 4 Responses »

Dec 022010

Twilight Sunrise, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 11 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to todays post. This image is from a recent shoot at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The image was shot just before sunrise approximately 1/2 mile out on the western dune fields. I had not had a chance to scout locations yet and just hiked out in the dark in hopes of capturing a few shots. After crossing several dune areas I came to this spot which was essentially a large amphitheater of sand surrounding an interdune zone. The flat interdune zone at the base of the sand dunes contains hard cryptobiotic formations called dune footprints. This area is where the dunes used to be. As the dunes are moved by wind they leave behind their footprints.

As the morning entered into civil twilight there was enough light to allow me about 15 minutes to frame a few shots. I positioned the camera to take advantage of the dynamic lines created by the sand ripples and the band of clouds moving across the sky. A beautiful, subtle hint of red began to appear in the clouds and light light started to illuminate the leading edges of the dunes. The light under the clouds was pretty hot and I used a Singh-Ray 4-stop Reverse Split Neutral Density filter to help balance out the exposure. The clouds were moving pretty fast so there is just a hint of motion expressed through the 11 second exposure. Not a bad way to start a morning.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Dune Flats – White Sands National Monument

Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Mountains, National Parks, New Mexico, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Sony α900, White Sands National Monument 2 Responses »

Nov 112010

Dune Flats, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1/6 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. As this post is coming on the heels of yesterdays image it is what I consider “the rest of the story”. My friend TJ Avery wrote me after yesterdays post and reminded me that my preference for not shooting detail was not so much a “photography character flaw” but more in line with my style. And he goes on to point out that if we, as photographers, “can recognize and consciously think about what components in a scene are attracting you, then you’ll be more able to focus in on them and make a meaningful photograph…”. I say right on. A deliberate consciousness and visualization of the potential of a photograph is extremely important. But the question always remains as to what attracts us to a scene. Put ten photographers in the same spot and you will get eight different photographs and two who will abstain from shooting because its not quite what they are looking for. Consciously thinking about the components of the photograph is a powerful idea. I don’t know how many times I have processed what I consider to be a finished image only to play with cropping and find one, two, or even more shots within the shot. Wow I think, why didn’t I shoot that. In actuality I did but in the larger context of the grand landscape shot. Were these small components sub-consciously what attracted me in the first place? I’m not sure. I tend to see the larger pieces first-for example a foreground object coupled with the line of mountains and sky. From there I consider what lens might be the best to render the shot. Oh, and lets not forget about the quality of light. The list can get long and honestly I think the brain neurons are firing so quickly that we go on creative auto pilot. The hows and whys that bring us into the shot still remains a mystery to me and can into the metaphysical.

Yesterdays post is a detail. One of those “shots within the shot” so to speak. And it begins with todays post which was the first composition. So what drew me to this image in the first place? It was the light. The subtle beautiful glow on the far dune. For all my days at White Sands it was this light, at twilight times, that captivated me. I just could not get enough of that light. But notice how that glow is repeated in the ripples and contrasted with blue light reflected from the sky. This too captivated me. And so the focus (sorry, had to say it), was to weave these thematic components into my shots. And so this first shot, represents what I am always attracted to. The grand landscape. The big idea. But if you look closely into the far dune you will see the detail shot that I posted yesterday. It was processed monochromatically but it still exhibits the subtle light and expressive patterns of dune ripples. The lesson here is that we need to think consciously about the components that attract us within a scene. In this instance I stopped moving long enough to allow my eyes and mind to wander about the scene. And it kept coming back to the beautiful light on the far dune. I simply walked forward into the scene and the shot revealed itself to me. Find and study those components that attract you and you will discover the “shots within the shot”.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Bob

Ripples of Sand – White Sands National Monument

Abstracts, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, New Mexico, Photography Trips, Sony α900, White Sands National Monument, Zeiss Lenses 1 Response »

Nov 112010

Sand Ripples Number 1, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image of sand ripples is from White Sands National Monument. I have always been one to concentrate much of my photography on the grand landscape as opposed to looking within the composition for more subtle details. It is somewhat of a photographic character flaw within me. I stepped away from this a bit at White Sands when I became fascinated by the beautiful, undulating ripples of sand formed by the wind. Wind is a powerful force at White Sands that gives life and movement to the dunes. Trekking across the ridges it is hard to imagine that the dunes actually move up to 25 feet a year and are in a constant state of change. Water contributes to some of this but it is the wind that drives them towards Alamogordo. The ripples can be subtle, barley discernable in fact, or deep furrowed tendrils extending into the landscape. Their shadowed relief help give form and character to the dunes. But they are fleeting and in constant flux. At times rain simply washes them away and the sand becomes a monotonous flat crust. But the winds always return, cutting into the crust, chiseling and sculpting until new ripples form. It is the cycle of change. The photo above is but a single moment in time. It will not be this way again for nothing remains still on the dunes for long.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Sunrise on the Dunes – White Sands National Monument

Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Photography Trips, Sony α900, sunrise, White Sands National Monument 4 Responses »

Nov 062010

Sunrise on the Dunes, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Well I am finally back from a long 30 days in the field that saw me photographing at White Sands, Big Bend, and on the North Shore of Oahu. I have so many images to go through that I suspect it may take me a while to process my selects. To get the ball rolling today’s post is from my second morning shoot at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Quite honestly I found White Sands mystical. The white, gypsum based sand dunes seem to roll on forever towards the San Andreas Mountains. I had scouted this location the night before and given the right set of clouds I thought the composition might produce a good image. I marked the location in my GPS as I would have to hike in nearly a mile in the dark to be ready for the sunrise.

The next morning I awoke to a thick band of clouds rolling over the dunes. The horizon line was clear and I thought all the elements might just come together. I reached this spot right a the beginning of nautical twilight which gave me plenty of time to pre-compose several options. About 30 minutes before sunrise a thick blanket of clouds sat over the dunes and I began to wonder if the shot would happen. But they were moving fast, driven by upper level winds, and began to break up. This image was shot about 10 minutes before sunrise. This time in civil twilight is one of my favorites. The lights are beginning to come on and the sky is reflecting blue light down on to the dunes. It is a special time to be alone in a place like this. The black void of night slowly gives way to the light. Details like wind rippled sand, once hidden, are revealed. Cold becomes warm. A new day begins.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob