Wind sculpted dunes in low angle sunlight

The Eureka Sand Dunes are the tallest range of dunes in California, rising more than 800 feet above the floor of Eureka Valley, part of the Death Valley National Park (though far romoved from Death Valley itself).

A large part of taking pictures of wind wrinkled dunes and getting definition of the dunes is time of day. The angle of the sun is key to giving the wind blown lines that sharp shadow relief. The sun needs to be low in the sky, which means early morning or late, late afternoon/evening. If the sun is high in the sky, the slight angles in the sand won’t cast shadows.

Other than time of day, it is all personal choices- composition, depth of field , and exposure; things each photographer decides for themselves. I personally used a wide lens, since I wanted the landscape to stretch away from the detail of the winds waves in the sand. The main dune is off center for flow. The horizon line is not centered.

The eureka Valley is a beautiful place and is ideal for photography.

For more images from the Eureka Sand Dunes, check out this Photo Essay