Photographing sand? Probably this would be the reaction of many after hearing of someone with his or her gear out in the desert or beach photographing sand. Many of us have visited beaches, walked on their white sands yet did not think great photos could come out of them and rather concentrated on the expanse of waters and the orange horizons. The truth is sand photography is one of the most rewarding forms of photography. Some of the best landscape or nature photographers have taken picturesque shots of sand dunes or desert sands, not forgetting the famous sandy beaches.

Photographing sand is not an easy task, even though it may sound easy. It involves hardships, technical difficulties and if you lack good artistic or photographic eye, disappointing results. One of the major problems one faces when photographing sand is exposure. This is because sand is often bright and reflects a lot, making the camera come up with wrong readings. Here is a brief on how you can shoot sand, overcoming exposure issues and making the best out of various sand forms.

The sand

Contrary to what many may think, sand comes in different colours and forms depending on where it is found. Sand can just be sand—a mass of loose granular substance, typically pale yellowish brown, resulting from the erosion of siliceous and other rocks—or can be in the form of dunes among other forms.

Sand found along many river banks is pale yellow and often coarse with no or little formation. For that reason not many photographers make it a photo subject unless it is part of a bigger picture. Various beaches have varying sand types and colours. Some beaches have white sand, others greyish sand and others may be pale yellow and even red as well. Red Sand Beach on Kaihalulu Bay on the island of Maui, Hawaii is a good example of a beach with red sand. Thar Desert sand of Rajasthan is not far behind.

Sand found near mountains and valleys can have all these colours but often you will find red sands or burnt orange sands donning some of the famous sites in the world. White Sand in New Mexico is one good example of a desert filled with white sand, made of gypsum unlike many deserts whose sand is primarily made of quartz.

The gear

Photographing sand is rewarding but the exercise may not be very pleasing. Unless you have a well established crew, we recommend that you carry the minimum equipment with you to avoid damage, loss or causing weariness on you. A tripod may not be necessary since you will hardly deal with low light conditions, however if you need one, we would recommend a Joby Gorilla Pod since it can be easily assembled and aligned for a shot.

Selection and choice of lens is vital since it may not be easy to carry so many lenses in the desert or anywhere where sand it. Deserts and beaches present you with an opportunity to photograph great close ups to breathtaking long shots. With that, you should carry lenses that range between 24mm to 200mm. A prime lens with that range will be great. Don’t forget to carry filters as well. They will not only cut the glare but also protect your lens.

The technique

According to Peter Andrade, a professional photographer based in California and the owner of pamphotography.com, one of the major issues one will face in photographing sand is getting the right colour. “Your camera's metering system may want to make the sand mid-tone gray. Take some test shots and adjust your exposure to get the sand the right colour, whether snow white, gay, brown, or red,” advices  Peter.

Peter’s partner Mary Andrade adds that a photographer should focus on two things: shadows and curves. Mary also says that time of the day matters, “My preferred time to photograph sand is when there is side light - either from the morning or late afternoon sun.  I often find my photographs taken on a cloudy day, or when the sun is high, to lack contrast. Side lighting brings out the patterns and texture of the sand,” she elucidates.

In terms of composition, Mary advises amateur photographer to look for S shapes on the sand and use that as leading lines and for adding splendour to your shot. According to her, shadows help accentuate these patterns; and one should often try to place the bottom of the curve in a corner of the frame rather than dead centre.

Final word

Sand, wind and the adverse weather conditions always go hand in hand. It goes without mentioning therefore that you should protect yourself and your equipment at all times. Carry enough water and food if you plan for long sessions of photography and be physically fit for the task.

	Quick read: Contrary to what many may think, sand comes in different colours and forms depending on where it is found. Unless you have a well established crew, we recommend that you carry the minimum equipment with you to avoid damage, loss or causing weariness on you. You should carry a lens that range between 24mm to 200mm. A prime lens with that range will be great. One of the major issues one will face in photographing sand is getting the right colour.

Photos by D.Dupre / Fotosocial