23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
The bleak desert that feels like illusion
The sand dunes rise like a half-remembered dream—backlit, their forms blurring into the hazy sky, as if the desert itself is dissolving into the light. A wooden fence and a strip of green grass frame the scene gently, a small patch of warmth that feels like a quiet pause between the vastness of the desert and the soft, slow light of the day.
Photo Detail
| Date Taken: | 07.2025 |
| Date Uploaded: | 11.2025 |
| Photo Location: | Dunhuang, China |
| Camera: | HUAWEI P60 Pro |
| Copyright: | © xinyue Zhong |