Magic From The Wind: White Sands National Monument

Jay W. Smith

The visible evidence of wind is everywhere: ripples, textures and the
lines, forms and patterns of sand dunes.  Late evening and early
morning light make the dunes magical.  It's a place for simple, graphic
compositions.

White Sands National Monument is on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan
Desert in southern New Mexico.  It covers 275 square miles, one of the
largest dune fields in the United States, and is serviced by one eight
mile scenic drive. The east end of the monument, near the visitor's
center, is alive with plant life, primarily the soaptree yucca.  The
west end of the monument, in the heart of the dunes, is almost devoid
of plant life.  Animal life is evidenced by tracks in the sand: birds,
lizards, beetles.   White Sands National Monument comprises the world's
largest gypsum sand dunes. It is the gypsum, rather than the usual
quartz, which causes the brilliant whiteness.  The dunes are always
changing because of the wind: growing, cresting, slumping and
advancing.  The sand's fineness is both a blessing and a curse for
photographers.  The fineness allows the wind to do its magic, but the
sand gets into everything, including cameras and lenses.

Photography should be done in the early morning and the late evening. 
Capturing patterns and textures and the graphic lines which define the
dunes requires light on the horizon.  Overhead light flattens and dulls
the dunes.  The monument opens at 7:00 am and remains open until dark
during the winter, and until10:00 pm during the summer  (must enter the
monument before 9:00 pm ).  The late winter sunrise makes it easier to
catch the early morning light.  Driving 15 miles south to the monument
from an overnight stay  in Alamogordo, New Mexico,  works well for
entering the monument when it opens.  One way to guarantee that you are
there for early morning light is to camp overnight in the dunes.  The
primitive camping area requires a one to two mile hike from the road.
It has no facilities and everything carried in must be carried out. 
Ten campsites are positioned among the dunes such that each is out of
sight from the road and other campsites.  Therefore, solitude is
possible in this magical place.  The number of overnight campers is
limited and the campsites are assigned on a first-come first-serve
basis; reservations cannot be made in advance.  Spring and fall are
ideal times for a photographic visit, but winds can be more of a
problem in the springtime.

Because of the brightness of the sand, exposures are tricky. 
Underexposed, gray colored sand results from images made with the
exposures predicted by the “correct” exposure from the light meter. 
Proper exposures require more light than the exposure reading on the
light meter.  The trick is knowing how much to overexpose.  Medium tone
objects are rare in this white desert.  Frequently I take a spot meter
reading off the blue sky, that part of the sky I consider medium tone. 
After I take my reading, I make sure that the white sand, the lightest
part of the composition, is not over 1 and 2/3 stops brighter than my
compensated exposure.  If the lightest part of the composition is
greater than 1 and 2/3 stops, I decrease the exposure.  It's better to
have underexposed parts of the image with some loss of detail in
underexposed areas than hot, white, washed out areas.  Sometimes I take
a spot meter reading off the sand and overexpose 1 to 1 and 2/3 stops. 
Overexposing two full stops frequently washes out detail in the sand. 
Less over compensation is required as the sun nears the horizon and
bathes the sand with sweet light because the sand is less brilliant. 
The secret to proper exposure is to overexpose 1 to 1 and 2/3 stops and
bracket.  Frequently, it's hard to pick the winner from the bracketed
images.

Lenses from 24 mm to 300 mm are useful.  Broad landscapes with yucca in
the foreground make a classic composition requiring wide angle lenses.
Telephoto lenses are useful in isolating lines, forms and shadows of
distant dunes, foreshortening perspective, and producing dramatic
images from patterns.  Photographing animal tracks in the sand is
usually done with lenses of medium focal length, but sometimes
telephoto and macro lenses are useful.  Macro lenses should be carried
to photograph  desert verbena and claret cup cactus in the springtime.

Polarizing filters can make dramatic skies, especially if there are
white clouds in the composition.  A properly exposed, well composed,
image of white sand, white clouds and blue sky is hard to beat.
However, it is very easy to over polarize, especially in the fall and
winter; skies become dark navy blue or black.  White sand frequently
turns up blue in transparencies.  This is difficult to overcome since
the blue sky is reflecting off the white sand.  Sometimes the blueness
in the sand is accentuated by using a polarizing filter.  In these
situations, an 81A warming filter helps.

I experience two frustrations when photographing in White Sands
National Monument: blowing dust and human footprints.  If the wind is
blowing, I cover my camera and lens  with a large zip lock bag or
garbage bag.  My camera bag, lying in the sand, is always zipped
closed,  I've opened my camera back to change film while photographing
in the dunes, but never when fine sand is blowing.  I walk back to the
car to change film! I've never mastered the art of opening a camera and
changing film in a closed protecting bag.

People love to walk in the dunes, especially with bare feet.  Fine sand
oozing through toes  when walking is therapeutic.  Kids can't resist
running up and down dunes and sand surfing off the edge of untouched
dunes.  Sometimes a single set of foot prints adds to the composition
of the photograph, but hundreds of randomly placed prints do not.  In
part, this problem can be alleviated by hiking the Alkali Flat Trail
which is at the end of the eight mile drive.  It is marked with poles
(do not accidentally get these poles in your photograph) among the
dunes, and completes a loop trail of about three miles.  Fewer visitors
hike this loop trail.  Long telephoto lenses with their narrow angle of
view also help eliminate evidence of human activity from images of
these pristine dunes.  Fortunately, the wind always does its magic;
footprints are eventually eliminated.

Photographers must realize that the White Sands Missile Range
completely surrounds the monument.  Sometimes, on average of twice a
week, the monument and US 70 between the monument and Las Cruces, New
Mexico are closed while missiles are being tested.  The closures last
from one to two hours.  For closure information call the monument,
505-479-6124, the day you leave to photograph. .

White Sands National Monument is located on US highway  70, 54 miles
northeast of Las Cruces and 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo, New
Mexico.  It is open daily except for Christmas Day.  The visitor's
center includes a museum, information desk, bookstore, gift shop, and
restrooms.  Numerous parking areas along the eight mile drive allow
photographers to stop and explore the dunes on foot.  No water is
available along the drive.