In 2004 I stumbled upon an incredibly interesting area of White Sands National Monument while hiking out into the 360 square miles park, an area I can only describe as an ancient dune field. When I first discovered this area I photographed one of the many yardangs I found in this isolated area (see photo #2 in My Top 5 Favorite Photographs and Accompanying Stories), but upon my return in April of 2010 the formation I originally photographed had been eroded into oblivion and was gone forever. I have to admit I was really bummed the formation was no longer present, but that disappointment soon transformed into an adrenaline fueled high as I discovered yardang after yardang the farther I hiked out.
Snakehead Yardang, White Sands National Monument
One of the more fascinating yardangs I found and photographed was one that resembled a snakehead emerging from a 60 foot dune. I took care to photograph various compositions of this fragile sand formation and cherished the fact that no one would ever see this formation in the exact same way. As I discovered while visiting the area of my last yardang photo these formations are here one day and gone another. The winds of the Tularosa Basin simultaneously shapes and destroys the landscape providing a unique experience with every visit. It is for this reason that every visit to White Sands National Monument is as exciting as the first.
Photo Details:
Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 II, 16mm, 1/200 sec, f/16, ISO 200
[tags]Photography, Fine Art, New Mexico, White Sands National Monument, Landscape, Nature[/tags]
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