Outer Banks Jockeys Ridge State Park - Swept Away
by Dave Allen
Title
Outer Banks Jockeys Ridge State Park - Swept Away
Artist
Dave Allen
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Outer Banks Jockeys Ridge State Park - Swept Away
The Outer Banks has so many landscapes to photograph, and Jockeys Ridge State Park has plenty of potential. Located in Nags Head on the Outer Banks, Jockeys Ridge is the tallest natural sand dune in the eastern US. There was a nasty storm front moving through with 60mph winds when I shot this photograph, which revealed these awesome patterns in the deeper layers of sand that are normally covered by a thick layer of soft sand and not visible. Looks like Mother Nature's topographical map!
I wish I'd have done a better job shooting this, but it was nearly impossible to think and function while being hammered with flying sand that filled my eyes the second I opened them. The exposure only shows the heaviest flying sand near the ground, but it was bad even at 6 foot (I shot this from about 1.5ft off the ground). While the picture doesn't give a true sense of the amount of flying sand, these were easily the worst conditions I have ever shot under. The $175 polarizer I had on the front of my lens was pitted and completely destroyed from being sandblasted. The wind was blowing so hard that at one point it almost blew me over the edge of the steep dune directly behind me when I stood up. Three days and as many showers later, I was still picking sand out of my eyes, ears, and scalp. Great fun!
Votes, Faves, and Comments are appreciated! Hope you like it! ;-)
Uploaded
December 31st, 2012
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Viewed 5,318 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/15/2024 at 8:14 AM
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Comments (17)
Kathi Mirto
The sand patterns are amazing! I had a similar experience recently shooting the same conditions on Lake Michigan which knocked me over twice. I was so worried about my lens being scratched, but all was okay. Anyway, I came up with some great shots of the beach and light tower with crashing waves so it was worth it. vf pin
Dave Allen replied:
It is always worth it in my experience, the adventure of it all, the memories, the shots that are unique and different than what you normally see. I enjoy landscape photography as a contact sport and feel it leads to amazing memories and images that stand out for all the right reasons :)
Kim Duncan Mantel
always changing...
Dave Allen replied:
It's different every single time out on the sand dunes, always fun to find new possibilities there :)
Cindy Shultz
Swept away is what can happen to someone gazing at your photography! This is just so special!
Ginger Heywood
This picture is just spectacular, the patterns in the sand are really wonderful, difficult when the wind is blowing. Great job!
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