White Sands

Landscapes in Gypsum White Dunes

October 31 – November 3, 2023

One of the newest additions to the National Park System, White Sands, has much to offer. The ever-changing white gypsum dunes of White Sands rise from the Tularosa Basin and take on the light from the sky above them. We will hike deep into the dunes to photograph the iconic sunset over the dunes with the San Andres Mountains as the backdrop.

The Tularosa Basin is also home to one of the largest petroglyph sites in the Southwest. Over 21,000 petroglyphs were made by the Jornada Mogollon people, dating back between 400 – 1450 AD.

With early access into White Sands, we will be in long before the sun rises. We’ll use telephoto lenses to compress the dunes with the sun’s first light, warming the Organ Mountains. Our afternoons will find us back out in the dunes shooting wide-angle scenes and using our longer lenses again. With our late access permit, we will stay late into the night, capturing stars above the dunes.

We will also spend an afternoon and evening at the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, photographing petroglyphs that reveal a mysterious past. With respect, we will compose them as foreground elements with the stunning Tularosa Basin and 12,000 ft Sierra Blanca Peak as our background. It is easy to understand why the Jornada Mogollon people made this beautiful landscape their home many centuries ago.

This workshop will include the Muench Workshop image review and post-processing sessions, including Lightroom and Photoshop. Expect to learn new skills, from panorama-stitching and exposure blending to low-light processing. The workshop is designed for the beginner to the seasoned pro. Being a small group, we can teach everyone’s skill level.

Muench Workshops operates with all state and federal commercial use permits.