White Sands Sand Storm: How it was done

This photograph was created during a blowing sandstorm at White Sands National Monument during the workshop Natalie and I lead there.  We are leading this workshop this year by the way, here is the link to the description page.

The challenge was being able to photograph during a blowing sandstorm. The photograph does not show the fierceness of the storm, it only shows its beauty. However, it was fierce.  The sand was blowing everywhere and we could barely see in front of us.  On the photo this translates as a slight beige hue which comes from the light being tinted by the sand color.

The advantage of photographing during the storm was that all the footprints had been erased and the sand ripples were constantly changing.  They were in motion in fact. If I had done a video instead of a photograph you would have seen the sand ripples moving in front of my feet.

This photograph was originally captured as an horizontal image. It was just easier to hold the camera horizontally than vertically.  A tripod was unthinkable because it would not have stood up to the force of the wind.

However I wanted a vertical image so I stretched the original capture vertically to achieve this goal. This elongated the sand ripples in the foreground, producing an effect much closer to what I experienced.  The image now makes me feel the way I felt when I saw the sand ripples move in front of me, the blowing sand whipping my legs and covering my clothing with a fine mist.  The camera captured the scene, the change in image format made a photograph express what I saw and felt.

Alain Briot