Windstorm in Death Valley

When I saw the wind would be 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, I made the last-minute decision to head to the sand dunes in Death Valley National Park. I hoped the wind would be strong enough to wipe away footprints left from previous visitors. Also, I was hoping for a bit of a mystery in the atmosphere. I got both. These were some of my favorite shots of the year! I especially loved the simplicity of lines created by light and shadow on the dunes. Most of these photos were take with a 100-400mm lens which helped get close to distant dunes and exclude distracting details.

This first shots below were taken when the winds were gusting, just before sunset, throwing sand in my pockets and ears. I was wearing googles and a face mask to protect my eyes, nose and mouth. My camera was shaking on the tripod, so I had to use a faster shutter speed with images stabilization on. The tripod, about 6 pounds, almost blew over. I caught it in the process of tipping a few times.

The next morning, the wind was still blowing, but much calmer. The only footprints in the sand were from some other early visitors.

Later that day, I returned once more before sunset. The main areas of the dunes were marked with footprints, so I ventured to a less popular area. I was following one other set of footprints left by another photographer. Again, I found some great shapes created by the curve of the dunes and shadows.

To see the full collection from this outing, click here.

I love to hear which, if any, photos stood out to you. Please leave a note in the comments. Thank you for looking.