Great Sand Dunes visit tips?

Griffin

I'll be visiting the Great Sand Dunes NP in CO soon - does anyone have some good photography tips? I'll be camping there but I won't be able to devote the entire time to photography. Is morning or evening a better light? Equipment tips?

Ben

BeaKeR

Never been myself, despite living in Denver for 7 years.

I've heard some horror stories of gear ruined by the sand. I imagine all the usual beach tips apply - ie, don't change lenses on the sand no matter what.

Adam Schallau

Griffin wrote:

I'll be visiting the Great Sand Dunes NP in CO soon - does anyone have some good photography tips? I'll be camping there but I won't be able to devote the entire time to photography. Is morning or evening a better light? Equipment tips?

Ben

I prefer afternoon/evening light, but it is all good at Great Sand Dunes. Come prepared to shoot everything from wide-angle to telephoto compositions. Depending on when you get there, Medano Creek may still be flowing.

I'll be heading up there tomorrow and would be happy to give an update on current conditions here in your post. FYI, the campground has been filling-up by 2:00pm on Thursdays and remaining full through the weekend.

Here are some of my shots from Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.

Adam Schallau

I wanted to add that you really need to pay attention to the weather if you are visiting during the summer. It can change very quickly and intense lightning is possible. Obviously there is no where to take shelter if you are exploring the dune field.

As BeaKeR mentioned, wind is also a very serious concern. I keep my camera and lenses wrapped in 1-gallon Ziploc (R) bags to protect them and I try to minimize lens changes. It may not be a bad idea to use UV/protective filters if the wind is blowing. In addition to the above I use a Storm Jacket camera cover when the camera is exposed to the elements.

AFBlue

Adam Schallau wrote:

I wanted to add that you really need to pay attention to the weather if you are visiting during the summer. It can change very quickly and intense lightning is possible. Obviously there is no where to take shelter if you are exploring the dune field.

Two comments:
Shadows are important in capturing the details of the dunes, so early morning/late afternoon/early evening would be better.
Take the comment about weather VERY seriously. I've only been there twice (July and September), but have been caught in big-time thunderstorms (very high winds, lightning, hail) both times. Last visit, we had severe thunderstorms 2 of the 3 nights we were there and our tent was damaged beyond repair.