23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Ripples of Time

Light distorts across the dunes, illuminating presence and absence. Every sweep of sand is a moment. In this place, the sand holds the memory of movement. These shapes are transient, already dissolving into others, but in their transience they become timeless: a continuous conversation between stillness and motion.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 05.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: None, United States of America
Camera: ILME-FX30
Copyright: © Ian Rothman