Morning Dunes and Mountains
When I arrived at Great Sand Dunes, the campgrounds were full, so I decided to camp in BLM land for the night. I got up early and took a quick hike to Zapata Falls (chilly!) then headed over to photograph the dunes before continuing on my drive to New Mexico. I was concerned that I had missed the early morning glowing light and that the dunes were too crowded (the tracks erase the rippling patterns), but I was pretty happy with the big, sweeping crests and clouds once I got up on the taller shifting sand.
Sweeping Dune Crest and Mountains, Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO (16″x69″)
Advancing Dunes Retreating Clouds, Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO (16″x39″)
Rain Clouds over Great Sand Dunes
After photographing a passing summer storm near Hooper, CO (see last week’s post), I stopped near the entrance to Great Sand Dunes National Park to shoot a panorama of the same storm as it lumbered over the Preserve and the mountains in the background. I shot this scene using HDR to get a more even exposure in the clouds and shadows on the ground, then made the image partially black and white to emphasize the drama of the scene.
Lone Tree, Dunes, Mountains, Clouds, Great Sand Dunes NP, CO (16″x54″)
Farm House and Storm
On my way to Great Sand Dunes, I stopped along the highway to photograph this abandoned house in a field as a summer thunderstorm passed overhead. If you read my photography blog, you know that I love to photograph clouds (and would have stopped to shoot them anyway), but it was even better to have a dramatic foreground element. Additionally, the Dunes hug the foothills of the mountains in the background.
Farm House and Summer Storm, near Hooper, CO (16″x62″)
Morning Clouds over Great Sand Dunes
Over the summer, I drove through southwestern Colorado after a few weeks of research in Boulder. I passed by Great Sand Dunes National Park as a rainstorm rolled through the region. After camping nearby, I walked around the dunes in the morning to photograph the line of clouds advancing across the deep blue sky. The clouds projected moving pools of shadows across the mounds of shifting sand.
Sweeping Dune and Advancing Clouds, Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO (16″x34″)
Luke Parsons Photography 