10 Frames: Infrared in the Desert — White Sands National Park with Aerochrome v2

10 Frames: Infrared in the Desert — White Sands National Park with Aerochrome v2

Posted on January 20, 2025

Red Yucca in the White Sand – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Aerochrome v2

A few weeks back, in-between Christmas and New Years, I briefly stopped in White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico for a couple of hours. Since it was the holiday season, the park was very crowded. There were so many cars, and people were everywhere! It was difficult to capture images without someone somewhere in the frame, and it was nearly impossible to find scenes without footprints.

My main objective for this stop was to photograph the White Sands with the Fujifilm GFX100S II at golden hour, with the hope of achieving one or two good XPan pictures. Secondarily, I wanted to create a few images with my Fujifilm X-T4 ES full spectrum infrared camera. I love using this camera, especially for the unusual pictures that it makes. My favorite Film Simulation Recipe for the X-T4 ES is Aerochrome v2, which I’ve used coast-to-coast and many places in-between, so that is what I chose for the White Sands.

The 10 frames in this article were made during about a two hour window in White Sands National Park using my Fujifilm X-T4 ES camera with a Fujinon 35mm f/2 lens and the Aerochrome v2 Recipe. It was partly overcast. Winter probably isn’t the best time to do infrared photography at this location, since much of the vegetation is dormant. Still, I came away with a couple good pictures, so I’m happy. But I know that I need to revisit the White Sands—hopefully next time I can dedicate a little more time to it. In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy these pictures.

Pink Brush – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Aerochrome v2
Yucca on a Sand Hill – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Aerochrome v2
Yucca & Brush – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Aerochrome v2
Yucca at the Top of a Hill – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Aerochrome v2
Yucca Hanging Over – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Aerochrome v2
Bush in the Sand – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Aerochrome v2
Desert Yucca – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Aerochrome v2
Yucca & Brush – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Aerochrome v2
Infrared Yucca – White Sand NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Aerochrome v2

See also:
Photographing in Aerochrome
Philadelphia in Aerochrome — Infrared Photography in the City of Brotherly Love