Like No Place Else on Earth
“Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world’s great natural wonders – the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and created the world’s largest gypsum dune field.
White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dune field, along with the plants and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly changing environment.”, this is how the National Park Service describes White Sands national Monument.
When visiting white sands, If you did not know better, you would think that there had been a snowstorm. The sand drifts and blows into dunes that look exactly like snowdrifts, the road is actually plowed with sand piled on the shoulders as if it were snow in of northern part of United States after a heavy snow-storm.
White Sands is a very unique destination for photography. The sand is continually blowing and drifting and changing the landscape. Several species of plants have adapted well to this moving sand and the desert environment and are able to survive amongst the dunes. The contrast of the brilliant white sand and the green plant life makes for very interesting photos. Adding to the effect are the ripples created by the blowing sand, and the stark shadows from the overhead sun.
What to Photograph:
The primary subject for your photography at White Sands is of course the sand dunes. Of equal importance to the sand dunes is plant life and, the stark contrast between the sand and the plants. The play of light and shadow on the dunes creates surreal photographs.
Best Time for Photographers:
Any time can be a good time for photographing in White Sands National Park. The park is open year-round, except for special closures due to testing at the White Sands missile base which is adjoining the park. Early in the morning and late in the afternoon when the sun is at a low angle will provide the best detail in the fine textures of the sand and the ripples appearing upon the dunes.
Where it is:
Located in south central New Mexico
Directions:
Getting to White Sands National Park
The visitor center is located on U.S. Highway 70, 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Alamogordo and 52 miles east of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Travelers from Carlsbad Caverns to southern Arizona can follow U.S. 82 through the scenic Sacramento Mountains to reach White Sands National Park.
Maps:
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, click and drag the to move the map, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view.
Map of White Sands National Park
Map of Dune Drive
Cost:
ENTRANCE FEES
$3 per person (good for 7 days)
Children 15 and under are free.
Entrance fees are collected at the entrance station on the Dunes Drive.
NOTE: They cannot accept credit cards for admission fees or passport purchases.
Holders of the Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass, Interagency Access Pass, Interagency Volunteer Pass and White Sands Annual Pass will be admitted free along with three other persons (16 and older) in a private non-commerical vehicle.
Links:
National Park Service Web Site
Location Contact Information:
White Sands National Park
PO Box 1086
Holloman AFB, NM 88330
Phone:
(575) 679-2599
Nearest City or Town:
Alamogordo New Mexico
Facilities:
The gift shop at the White Sands National Park Visitor Center offers packaged sandwiches, snacks and drinks. The nearest restaurants are in Alamogordo (14 miles east) and Las Cruces (52 miles west).
There is no lodging within White Sands National Park.
For those who would like to spend a night camping beneath the stars in the dunes, White Sands National Park has ten primitive backcountry camping sites available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Tips for the Photographer:
Equipment:
You do not need a great deal of equipment to photograph the White Sands National Park, most things can be shot with a standard lens.
Photography Tips:
When photographing White Sands, be particularly careful to watch for distractions in the background of your images. Another factor to consider is that the white sands will fool the automatic exposure of your camera, for a proper exposure you will need to overexpose about 1 1/2 to 2 f-stops.
Weather:
Current Sunrise/Sunset and Moon Phase for this Photographic Destination
White Sands National Park Photo Gallery
Click Here for full page gallery
More Photographic Destinations in New Mexico:
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view. Click on a pushpin for more information about the Photographic Destination, then click on the title to go to the location page.
Click Here for Photographic Destinations by State
Great Places for Great Photos
Let me help you to find a great location for your next photography adventure. I will list many lesser-known destinations, as well as the famous "Icon Locations" for photography. I will provide photos (Lots of Photos), location information, consisting of what there is to photograph as well as other information about the destination. I will give costs, maps, directions, contact information, and other essential information for a successful photo trip. I will only post for locations that I have personally photographed to ensure a quality guide to great locations for photography. If you know of great places that are not posted, please send me the details, I may just decide that is a place I need to go!
Greg Disch is a freelance photographer located in Arkansas. Greg specializes in nature, scenic, wildlife, and other outdoor subjects in Arkansas and other areas of the country. Most of the images on this site are available for sale as prints, personal use, or rights managed stock photos.
Greg offers both classroom instruction and in the field hands on photographic workshops. Classroom sessions are normally held in Fort Smith Arkansas, but arrangements can be made to bring a class to your group.
All classes and workshops have small class sizes designed to provide an optimum student to instructor ratio, where you can get the personal attention, you need. Most classes and workshops are limited to a maximum of six participants and will be held with a minimum of only two.
If you are looking for a wonderful opportunity to get personal individual instruction, I do private workshops and classes at a location of your choice, whether doing a location photo shoot, coming to your home or business, traveling across the country on a road trip, or at my classroom. This is a fantastic way to learn digital workflow and be sure that your computer equipment is properly configured for optimum performance.
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