In the late winter of 2024, I made a weekend trip to the Wahiba Sands desert of Oman. This is a popular destination, both with Omanis and tourists, but it is still possible to drive for many kilometers without seeing anyone, provided you deviate a little bit from the beaten track.
Since I was with family, I chose to spend the night in one of the many desert camps; however, I selected one which provided a true desert life experience: no electricity and simple Bedouin tent accommodation. After arriving and settling down, I took a stroll in the nearby dunes, waiting for the sunset. As luck would have it, a sand and dust storm was forming in the distance and approaching our camp fast. Sand is not good for photographic gear, and blowing sand is even worse.
Tucking my camera under my shirt, I climbed one of the dunes to take some photos. Even though the wind was not yet very strong, there was plenty of sand blowing around and over the dune crests; after all, it is this process that shapes and shifts deserts worldwide, and the Wahibas are no exception. From all the photos I managed to take, this one conveys the experience of being on the top of the dune, listening to the wind and feeling the grains of sand moving. I framed the sand patterns in the foreground, leading the eye towards the vast dune fields in the distance. The normally blue sky takes on a grayish color, with a softer light descending on the landscape.
