Gypsum Dunes & Dust
Tracking Light Beyond the Gates at White Sands
The Limitation of Park Operating Hours
There is a frustrating reality when it comes to photographing White Sands National Park near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The park gates close right around sunset and do not open back up until 7:00 a.m. For landscape photographers, those operational hours present a major hurdle. To catch a proper sunset, you need time to scout your composition, set up your gear, and work through golden hour into the serene transition of blue hour. Sunrise is even tougher—by the time 7:00 a.m. rolls around, the sun is already up or almost cresting the horizon. By the time you drive through the gate, down the main park road a few miles and trek across the dunes, the dramatic light is completely gone.
Special Access and a Dusty Surprise
When I noticed a photography workshop offered in December that included special permit access—allowing us entry at 5:00 a.m. and permission to stay well past sunset—I did not hesitate. Plunking down my money to join seven other photographers for a week of unrestricted access turned out to be the best decision I could have made.
Catching the Moment
Throughout that incredible week, we were treated to a rare sundog, drop-dead gorgeous sunsets, serene blue hour skies, a meteor shower, and a glowing full moon. Yet one of my favorite spontaneous moments happened while we were setup at dusk shooting blue hour. I was stationed on my tripod with my M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO telephoto len. Scanning the landscape, I noticed the wind kicking up a swirling dust devil across the distant ridges. The warm sunlight caught the airborne particles against the dark mountain silhouettes while low light sculpted the rippled textures of the gypsum foreground. I quickly pivoted my camera, framed the rolling curves and rising dust, and clicked the shutter to capture a fleeting dynamic moment in an otherwise quiet desert landscape.
Explore More of My Adventures
Getting inside White Sands National Park before dawn or staying past sunset requires special permits, but the payoff is the possibility of extraordinary light. Read how a workshop access pass made catching this wild dust devil possible.