National Parks, Monuments, Forests And Public Lands Assignment Winner Denis Dessoliers

Congratulations to Denis Dessoliers for winning the recent National Parks, Monuments, Forests and Public Lands assignment with the image, “Line on the Sand,” which was shot at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico.

“I arrived at White Sands National Monument Visitor’s Center in the afternoon to check in for overnight camping in the park,” explains Dessoliers. “I wanted to capture sunrise shots but to my surprise, they were closing the following morning due to missile testing. If you decide to make this your next destination, I’d advise you to call ahead so you can plan accordingly.

“I started my trek across the dunes the following afternoon when the park was cleared for entry. It was several hours before sunset so I did my best to find a dune with a pleasing composition and bunker down. As the sunset emerged and the colors of the sky started changing, that was my cue to start snapping away. A good amount of time had passed and I had taken many photos I was happy with, so I decided to head back. I ended up taking a path I hadn’t passed before and to my surprise, there was a very interesting line I didn’t see while scouting earlier. There was still enough light in the sky for another session, so I unpacked all my gear again and shot away. The shot at this location ended up having the best combination of lighting and color I could wish for.”

Equipment: Nikon 800, Nikon 24-70mm lens, focal 29, f-11, iso200, shutter 1 sec on tripod.

See more of Denis Dessoliers’ photography on Flickr.