1ST PLACE
Evening Light, (above), Jim Stein
“A quick trip to southern New Mexico would not have been complete without visiting this magical place. I arrived on the White Sands National Park dunes right after a heavy thunderstorm. It was dark with very little light, but I held out hope that I would be able to get some photos in before nighttime. Luckily, the clouds lifted, which provided a neat atmosphere. I could not have asked for better conditions.”
2ND PLACE
Lunar Storm, Tim Baca
"Extreme conditions in the badlands created an atmosphere like no other."–Tim Baca
3RD PLACE
Desert Winds, Charlie Lansche
"High wind, blowing sand, and moving waves of gypsum create an etherial mood as the sun drops over the western horizon at White Sands National Park. It seemed as though the landscape was alive and moving. I am always amazed by the light, shapes, and forces of nature that have sculpted this 275-square-mile ocean of sand." –Charlie Lansche
HONORABLE MENTION
White Sands N.P. Sunset, Ronald Gaddis
"New Mexico is one of my favorite places to photograph, especially White Sands National Park. I have visited the park on three separate occasions. What keeps me coming back is how different each trip has been. No two visits were the same with respect to the quality of light and degree to which the wind dispersed gypsum into the air. In addition, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is, there are always beautiful images in every direction. On the day this photo was taken, the wind was really strong. As a result, the air was filled with clouds of gypsum as the wind blew across the dunes, softening the light. This image was captured just as the sun was setting over the San Andres Mountains. While the sun was setting, the sky glowed as bright as a bar of gold and the foreground was a beautiful shade of purple. It was truly a spiritual experience, which will keep me coming back." –Ronald Gaddis
HONORABLE MENTION
First Light, Paul Schmit
"I had the great privilege to spend a weekend with a world-class landscape photographer and all-around good person in early June up in the iconic and otherworldly New Mexico badlands. We went into the weekend knowing conditions weren’t favorable for astrophotography, with storms and persistent clouds anticipated. After braving a blinding sandstorm our first afternoon while scouting, failing to get any sleep that evening, and heading back out at 1:30 a.m. into the cloudy night, things got off to a bumpy start.
"Sure enough, we never saw any stars that night. Finally, the cloud cover began to relent during blue hour, suddenly revealing a striking crescent moon and some lingering cirrus reflecting light from the first hints of dawn. This majestic hoodoo had caught my eye the previous day and was beckoning me to frame it alongside the rising moon. I rushed into place, tinkered with the composition, and began snapping away while my chest swelled with a sense of awe and gratitude for the display I was witnessing, which completely washed away the angst from the previous 24 hours’ trials and tribulations." –Paul Schmit