Good art calls for simplicity and there are few places that say simplicity like sand dunes. It's all about light and shadow in it's simplest form. A couple of days ago a friend and I were found climbing out of bed in what seemed like the middle of the night. We were both on time. meeting the goal of departing my driveway at 4:30am. We were on a mission to get out to the Little Sahara recreational area before sunrise. It's normally full of RV's and four-wheelers, but it was a weekday and the kids are back in school so we figured it would be pretty peaceful; we were right. Stopping at the entrance long enough to fill out a self-payment envelop and throwing in the required cash, we headed off looking for a spot. I shot one sunrise photograph of my friend and that was it. I was mostly there for the light on the dunes rather than the color. It took a while due to a layer of clouds that hide the sun shortly after it's initial appearance. That actually gave me a chance to hike around and find interesting spots to shoot. I found myself climbing the higher dune, not a task for the weak. I'm sure most of my readers have experienced half a slide back for every step you make! With a camera in my hand I'm usually able to endure the pain and actually enjoy myself. I dropped these images into black and white in an effort to create graphic pieces and I think I was successful for the most part. I also went for black skies as was often done by the late Ansel Adams in an effort to portray more drama in his images; that was what I was after. I'm including one image for those who absolutely have to have color. I looked up and saw my friend on a ridge hoping for a nice sunrise. I yelled for him to stay still and made the image, then went back to looking for what I was after, light patterns in the dunes. I found myself lost in my work until my friend called my on my cell to see if I was about done. When I'm lost like that it's a good day! Please enjoy, and let me know below what you think.

If you would like to know more about Ted York Photography click here. I can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.