Thanks for the comments Roman. I think I see what you mean about cropping out the greenery - that would draw attention more to the dunes and majesty of the mtns. And yes - you can walk all over the dunes. It is quite a hike to the top in the soft sand.....

When you say "isolation shots of the dunescapes" - do you mean something similar to the 3rd shot above? perhaps without the sky? I am just now starting to process some of my close ups of the dunes - they are similar to #3 - with different shadows, different dune shapes and with and without the sky.

This is one of my first attempts at stitching - I found it really hard to visualize the desired composition in the end when I knew I was going to stitch the shots together. It is almost like trying to paint a picture without the confines of canvas... I am trying to stitch the shots because I can make larger prints, and do not feel as confined - but it will take practice.

Thanks again for the comments.