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Great Sand Dunes National Park: Between Light And Shadow
For three years, John Weller captured the Great Sand Dunes with his extraordinary photography and vivid stories. Here is his masterly result in a phenominal book to celebrate our nation's newest national park.
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2004
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About the author
John B. Weller
6 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 13, 2023
Absolutely loved it!
"Complexity became simplicity. Everything was complete. The air was perfectly still. The only sound was the echoing beat of my own heart."
I understood 'this' getting lost in the Sangre de Cristo mountains on my mountain bike with my dog from 8th grade to 12th. I knew this area. Went to the Great Sand dunes National Park numerous times. I have a special love for this area. As many of us have reached the top of that tall sand dune in the 'front' of the park, we know there are miles upon miles more dunes to see! The author shares the experiences over many months approaching dunes in different areas during different seasons.
We underestimate what the author, who is the photographer, had to endure to capture these beautiful photos for this book. He honored and noticed how even the smallest living creatures contribute to the full world along and among the dunes.
I was in tears at the end. The author captured the exact thing, that those of us that love nature know, Nature is Perfect. Nature is intertwined with each other in a biomass where nothing goes to waste. I thought the author did a perfect job expressing this.
"And it was not just my presence, but our presence-humanity's in general- that needed consideration. We have such potential to squeeze too hard. I tried to think of every step multiplied by a thousand."
If you believe- (my favorite expression)"Step over ants, put worms back in the grass, rescue baby caterpillars, release spiders back into your garden, open windows for bees to fly home, they are all little souls that deserve a life too."-then you will like this book!!
ONLY ONE THING- I wish the author, after experiencing that storm, had put a photo in the book of the fulgurite formed where a lightning bolt hit the sand!
"Complexity became simplicity. Everything was complete. The air was perfectly still. The only sound was the echoing beat of my own heart."
I understood 'this' getting lost in the Sangre de Cristo mountains on my mountain bike with my dog from 8th grade to 12th. I knew this area. Went to the Great Sand dunes National Park numerous times. I have a special love for this area. As many of us have reached the top of that tall sand dune in the 'front' of the park, we know there are miles upon miles more dunes to see! The author shares the experiences over many months approaching dunes in different areas during different seasons.
We underestimate what the author, who is the photographer, had to endure to capture these beautiful photos for this book. He honored and noticed how even the smallest living creatures contribute to the full world along and among the dunes.
I was in tears at the end. The author captured the exact thing, that those of us that love nature know, Nature is Perfect. Nature is intertwined with each other in a biomass where nothing goes to waste. I thought the author did a perfect job expressing this.
"And it was not just my presence, but our presence-humanity's in general- that needed consideration. We have such potential to squeeze too hard. I tried to think of every step multiplied by a thousand."
If you believe- (my favorite expression)"Step over ants, put worms back in the grass, rescue baby caterpillars, release spiders back into your garden, open windows for bees to fly home, they are all little souls that deserve a life too."-then you will like this book!!
ONLY ONE THING- I wish the author, after experiencing that storm, had put a photo in the book of the fulgurite formed where a lightning bolt hit the sand!
January 15, 2014
Absolutely stunning sand dune photos, so perfect and abstract. Interesting diary of his 1 week trip each month for 3 years photographing the National Park in all kinds of weather, wind and light. His descriptions of wildlife encounters (from bugs, birds to pronghorns) made me wonder why he did not include some more photos of them. If you think that you want to be a wildlife photographer... read this quote from one day in a storm:
"I tumbled halfway down the dune, then ran, tripped, and fell on my face. My heart was racing. My temples pulsed with frightening force. I was sure I was going to pass out. I tried to calm down, tried to take deep breaths. My body was covered in cold sweat. I had lost my goggles and hat, and a contact lens had fallen out of one eye. My other eye was full of sand. The pain was excruciating.I popped out the other lens into my hand, and everything was fuzzy. My throat felt raw. Maybe I had screamed. I couldn't remember".
"I tumbled halfway down the dune, then ran, tripped, and fell on my face. My heart was racing. My temples pulsed with frightening force. I was sure I was going to pass out. I tried to calm down, tried to take deep breaths. My body was covered in cold sweat. I had lost my goggles and hat, and a contact lens had fallen out of one eye. My other eye was full of sand. The pain was excruciating.I popped out the other lens into my hand, and everything was fuzzy. My throat felt raw. Maybe I had screamed. I couldn't remember".
January 2, 2015
i did not read the jacket enough to realize that this is a book of mostly abstract photos. i'm not into abstract art, so i was hoping for more photos of wildlife or scenery that is more real rather than conceptual photos of dunes. but i did like reading about the authors experiences and what he saw while trekking around the dunes. it made me wish i could do the same. he saw things that very few of us get to see. he spent quality time in this park.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews