Sand Dunes

[Teton Chuck]

This photo of the Killpecker Dunes in the Red Desert of Southern Wyoming was taken at sunset. The butte in the distance is on the Continental Divide, a high ridge that divides the waters that flow to the east and west in America. This dune field is the largest in North America, fifty five miles long. C&C appreciated.

[Mike Buckley]

Well done, Chuck. The placement of the foreground shadow and the butte really works great.

[Donald]

This dune field is the largest in North America, fifty five miles long.

Now, that's a lot of sand!

Have seen some spectacular images taken in dunes where it's all about shapes and light & shadow. Would love to get in amongst that and try it some day.

I agree with Mike. The dune line and shadow that is created being a sort of counterpoint to the butte, is wonderful. The image does a good job, I think, of illustrating the scale of the dune system.

[Teton Chuck]

Thank you Mike and Donald, when you say that's a lot of sand keep in mind that these dunes continue for over fifty miles in length and sometimes more than a mile wide. The result is that it would be possible to take many days photographing in the dunes. These dunes are much easier to photograph, because they are rarely over 150 feet high, compared to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado where the dunes reach over 700 feet high. When I wasn't photographing dunes I was attempting to get photos of wild horses. I did not suffer from a lot of down time.

The other interesting thing about this dune field is that most places you can spend a day and not see another person. It is truly a wild place. I would love to go back in the winter and give it a shot. The snow drifts mixed with the sand should be interesting. The only problem is that I would be about twenty miles from a plowed road so it would be necessary to pay close attention to the weather. Get snowed in there and it could be a long stay.