More dunes...

Mud flats like these lie hidden beneath the Mesquite Dunes - but when the sand is blown aside, the beautiful patterns emerge. The wet conditions had softened the mud, so I didn't step onto the flats... but when it is drier, the mud is hard enough to walk on. The cracks will widen as the weather dries up, and the mud will curl into fantastic patterns.

I took this shot a few minutes after the one in the Feb. 17 post - as we were leaving the dunes. The sun was still peaking through the clouds, and the soft light enhanced the colors on the ground. The sky was heavily textured - which added a lot of interest in this shot. I used a GND filter to help reduce the dynamic range. A tripod is always essential.

I want to take a minute to thank those of you who have commented on my blog, called, or emailed me recently. I appreciate all your kind words about my work, and it means a lot to me to hear from you. I hope I can continue to produce images that meet your expectations. :)

The Sands of Time

We spent a couple of mornings shooting in the Mesquite dunes. The sand was wet and heavy - much easier to walk on than usual because it didn't slide away beneath our feet. The light was dull on this morning until we were about to leave. Then, the sun peeked through the clouds for just a few minutes - lighting up the dunes and the mist on the distant mountains with the softest glow. I removed some footprints from this image... as I was setting up to take the shot, Jay walked into the frame on the left. Ah well - I'm happy with the shot despite the extra work required to remove those footprints. :)

I installed PhotoShop CS4 yesterday. I'm a bit unhappy with the slow response time I'm getting, but overall the program is excellent. I'm going to see if I can find a way to improve the speed. I have so many photos I want to process!