The name Death Valley has never rung truer to me.

To capture that one-in-a-million photograph, you’ve got to possess either an extraordinary stroke of luck or be willing to thrust yourself into an incredibly unique, sometimes risky situation. And even then, you’re at the mercy of Mother Nature herself.

Dealing with both the scorching heat and the unruly winds of Death Valley’s iconic sand dunes is a challenge. Discovering a elegant perspective within one of the harshest places on Earth is the relatively easier part. It’s contending with the extreme elements that truly made this such a hard image to capture, but watching this mesmerizing scene unfold right in front of my eyes makes every second of the struggle absolutely worth it.

Black and White photograph of the Death Valley sand dunes.