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Into the Great White Sands
Contributions by Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, Dennis Ditmanson and Jim Eckles / Photographer Craig Varjabedian
Published by UNM Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
Photographic masterpiece on beloved White Sands National Park; now in paperback. Winner of the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for Photography. Like Ansel Adams in a contemporary and pristine setting. Powerfully relevant today.
Winner of the 2018 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award's Father Thomas J. Steele Award for History
Award-winning photographer Craig Varjabedian has spent decades photographing the many moods of the magnificent and ever-changing landscape of New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument. His photographs reveal snow-white dunes of gypsum, striking landforms, storms and stillness, panoramic vistas and breathtaking sunsets, intricate windblown patterns in the sand, ancient animal tracks, exquisite desert plants, and also the people who come to experience this place that is at once spectacular yet subtle. Varjabedian’s evocative color images provide the reader with an almost palpable sense of this extraordinary place.
These photographs are enriched by several essays written by Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, noted poet and author; Dennis Ditmanson, retired White Sands National Monument superintendent; Jim Eckles, retired Missile Range public affairs officer; and Craig Varjabedian, the photographer who shares his insights and experiences of photographing this inspiring landscape and offers tips on making better pictures of White Sands.
Winner of the 2018 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award's Father Thomas J. Steele Award for History
Award-winning photographer Craig Varjabedian has spent decades photographing the many moods of the magnificent and ever-changing landscape of New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument. His photographs reveal snow-white dunes of gypsum, striking landforms, storms and stillness, panoramic vistas and breathtaking sunsets, intricate windblown patterns in the sand, ancient animal tracks, exquisite desert plants, and also the people who come to experience this place that is at once spectacular yet subtle. Varjabedian’s evocative color images provide the reader with an almost palpable sense of this extraordinary place.
These photographs are enriched by several essays written by Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, noted poet and author; Dennis Ditmanson, retired White Sands National Monument superintendent; Jim Eckles, retired Missile Range public affairs officer; and Craig Varjabedian, the photographer who shares his insights and experiences of photographing this inspiring landscape and offers tips on making better pictures of White Sands.
Product Details
- Publisher: UNM Press (April 14, 2026)
- Length: 136 pages
- ISBN13: 9780826368980
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Raves and Reviews
"It is easy to lapse into the commonplace or the cliché with landscape photography; it is difficult to find the photographic expression Varjabedian is after. And he succeeds. This is not so much a book of look at what’s out there as much as look at what I feel when I’m looking at what’s out there."
– W. Scott Olsen, Frames
“The artist skillfully chronicles his immersion into this breathtakingly vast and strikingly intimate world and reveals the stories of this otherworldly place through emotionally evocative photographs. Varjabedian has suspended in time the many magical moments he experienced while chronicling the unique White Sands landscape.”
– The Eye of Photography
“If you prefer open space and simplicity, this award-winning photographer takes you there with an eye for detail, contrast, and composition. . . . Beautifully done.”
– Enchantment
Put professional equipment into the hands of a master like Craig Varjabedian and he'll find stunning beauty, great recreation, and a few surprises. . . . The pictures truly are the thing. And they are gorgeous.--New Mexico Magazine
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High Resolution Images
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Book Cover Image (jpg): Into the Great White Sands
Trade Paperback 9780826368980
