Early Risers

Sony A77II
Sony 70-400G @ 400mm
ISO 200, 1/80 @ f8
Great Sand Dunes NP
I’ve been to GSDNP a number of times with our most recent coming in late May of 2019. On every other visit there were blue sky days and interesting shadow patterns early and late but this time it was cloudy, wet and windy. One of my favorite things is to shoot hikers on the dunes with my long lens. This group got off to an early start on their way to the top. It had rained overnight and had been windy so there were a lot of interesting wet spots and few footprints to contend with. I also liked the blue predawn light and how the group was silhouetted against the patch of light sand. I love the dunes and this is one of my favorite shots of this marvelous place. All comments welcome. >=))>

1 Like

Bill, this is simply beautiful and the human element adds a lot to this scene. I thought Mesquite sand dunes is cool and then you show me this.

Beautiful range of subtle color along with fine shapes and textures. In this one, I find the people detract from the abstract nature of the image, but that is quite the personal preference.

Bill, the subtle warmth of the browns in the dues make this a special view. The various textures are delightful and the hikers show well the size of the field of view. Nice job taking advantage of the “unusual” conditions.

Bill. I love that you were able to capture the enormity of the area. The range of light and dark really adds to the depth, pulling the viewer through the scene. I can take or leave the folks in the photo; I do not really need them to give scale.

I love everything about this one, especially the light and dark tones, the slight bluish tint, the textures and the angles. It flows very nicely and I think the little people add a tremendous sense of grandeur to the landscape.