Sand by itself may be boring in an image. Sand with ripples are magical. They form lines which you can used to lead your viewer into the image. Sand ripples add interest and strengthen your foreground. Here is an example:

Sand ripples can also be used differently:

I just love playing with sand ripples:

Here are some tips to get nice sand ripples:

• Go after storms. Going after wind blew greatly increases your chances of finding nice sand ripples

• Get away from people. Footprints all over the place just ruin your images. You either want clear footprints leading somewhere or none at all.

• Look around and take your time before you start walking around. People often put footprints all over the place only to regret it when the footprints are in the image. Do not put footprints in an area you want to photograph. Look around, find your points of interests, look for more images and now plan your route taking footprints into account.

• Shoot from a low angle. Get right up to them

• Side lighting is best for sand ripples as it creates contrast and makes the ripples much more pronounced

• Make sure they are leading somewhere or point into your image

• Be safe. Sand dunes typically find themselves in harsh conditions with little water. It saps a lot of energy to wak in sand. Hydrate and take a lot of water with you. Sand dunes may all look alike, so it is really easy to get lost. Use a cell phone app to track you or some other means of not getting lost.

• Be careful changing lenses. Where you have sand and ripples you either have had or have wind. Where you have wind and sand you are in danger of damaging your equipment. Learn to change lenses as quickly as possible and as safely as possible. Have your camera pointing down when you change lenses. Thoroughly clean your equipment when you get back to your base.

Go get some great images with sand ripples in them.