WHITE SANDS NATIONAL PARKMARCH, 2018
A Veiled Sanctuary
In the heart of southern New Mexico, nestled between the San Andres and Sacramento Mountains, lies a surreal and singular landscape unlike anywhere on earth. Spanning an area of 275 square miles, White Sands National Park features the world’s largest gypsum dune field. Gypsum is pure white, water-soluble, and unable to retain heat, so the dunes remain cool even on the hottest days. However, this sanctuary of exquisite, pristine beauty shares the same ground that introduced the world to the atomic bomb, now part of an active missile range.
White Sands interested me as a landscape to include in “Surface Surveys,” my ongoing photographic series examining global wildernesses. I knew its vast gypsum dunes would offer an unparalleled example of a preserved desert habitat. What I didn’t know was how hard it was going to be to capture it.
The park is surrounded by White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base, and the airspace above it is restricted. Photographing from the air would mean entering that airspace — with permission no civilian survey had been granted before.
“As I sought to document another jewel in mother nature’s crown, I found myself completing paperwork—adorned with the seal of the Department of Defense—designed for missile test approvals.”
Such an unforeseen and dramatic development revealed the extraordinary nature of my request and heightened the sense of adventure it promised.