Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Why a Wonder: Long shadows sweep across dramatic sand dunes that are often bathed by beautiful light in the early morning and late afternoon.

Where: Death Valley National Park in Southeastern California.

When: January or February are ideal, when the temperatures are much cooler than they are in summertime.

Photography: You’ll want to be at the sand dunes before sunrise so you don’t miss some of the best light of the day. That means arriving on site in the dark, which means you’ll need a headlamp or a flashlight to help you find your way to picturesque locations, some of which are at the base of the dunes, and some of which are at the top of the dunes.

Try to make photographs that look like the scenes looks to your eyes: everything in focus. You can reach that goal by using a wide-angle lens (the wider the better), setting a small aperture, and focusing 1/3 into the scene.

How do you find those locations? The key is to scout the site in daylight the day before so you have at least some idea of where you are going. The parking lot by the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is a good place to start.

Try to make photographs that look like the scenes looks to your eyes: everything in focus. You can reach that goal by using a wide-angle lens (the wider the better), setting a small aperture, and focusing 1/3 into the scene.

More: See this Death Valley "On the Road with Rick" video. To learn about Why we take pictures, see, Photo Therapy Motivation and Wisdom – discovering the power of pictures.

Photographs © Rick Sammon

This post sponsored by Adorama.