White Sands National Monument

Ever since moving to Clovis, I knew that White Sands National Monument was on my bucket list to photograph. My husband and I frequently travel to southern NM to hike and this was the perfect opportunity for this to happen. As a photographer every location is beautiful, but White Sands reminds me of my hometown beach except with mountains.


I am originally from the Gulf Coast of Florida. Our beaches are the same color white. Only difference is no mountains. White Sands is also a large dune made of gypsum. The sand on our feet for this session was so cool and soft.

Photography Challenge

For this session I brought my travel kit. The camera I used was a backup with a 50mm lens. While I thought this would be a challenge it turned into a refreshing session. Gear matters to a degree, but what you are able to do with basic gear matters. I have learned through my many years as a photographer how to photograph where it looks like different lenses all while only using one lens. With this lens, I was able to achieve photos that look like they came from a 35mm or 85mm.

The Session

The session presented challenges of fighting shadows and the sun being bright in some areas and dark in others. Golden hour can go from full light to moderate light to blue hour very quickly. This lead to a wide variety of images within this gallery. No two photos look alike. Keep in mind golden hour is maybe a solid 20 minutes depending on the day, before the sky goes orange, then pink, and finishing dark blue. For sessions at White Sands at golden hour a minimum of an hour session is needed (90 minutes is ideal) to achieve variety within the gallery.

Travel Photography

Starting the end of this year, but definitely the beginning of next year, I am looking at adding travel locations to sessions. These can be found in my inquiry form. If I am already in a location travel fees will be waived. Otherwise travel fees will be added if I am not already in a location. I look forward to photographing more amazing locations and would love to have you join me.