After my younger daughter Christine's High School graduation (well over a decade ago), she requested that I take her on a photo trip to the southwest. She wanted to go to New Mexico, I think partly because some of her friends had told her how cool Taos was. We decided to see White Sands on the way, and here are a few shots that we took there. The dunes of White Sands are made of gypsum, a mineral that is entirely different from the silica sands that one usually finds at beaches or other areas of the Southwest. To me, White Sands has a sort of stark beauty that is different from other deserts. For the photographers out there, when photographing white sand or snow, it is usually advisable to add at least a stop of extra exposure above what a light meter calls for, since the meter is calibrated to provide only 18% reflectance, or neutral gray.
We spent an enjoyable afternoon photographing in the dunes, and then as nightfall approached, I captured the image below as the moon rose in the East. Notice that Christine takes instruction well- she's using a tripod, just like Dad told her!
Tech info (All images): Nikon F3, 70-300mm Nikkor zoom, Fujichrome Velvia, film scan.
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