Two Hikers at the Summit of Death Valley Dunes

Two Hikers at the Summit of Death Valley Dunes
Two Hikers at the Summit of Death Valley Dunes

Two Hikers at the Summit of Death Valley Dunes. Death Valley National Park, California. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two hikers take in the evening landscape of Death Valley National Park from the Summit of the dunes.

Many times I might have been disappointed to have two hikers enter “my” scene in such beautiful dusk light, but here I feel like they crystalize the scene. In a larger version of the photograph the two of them seem to stand silently facing the rugged vastness of Death Valley – and I think their presence invites us to think of ourselves in the scene and to imagine our own reaction to it.

My favorite time to photograph these iconic dunes near Stovepipe Wells is in the evening during a brief interval right around sunset and lasting a while after the sun drops behind the peaks to the west. The light softens, especially if there is a bit of haze in the sky, and the dunes that are so bright and harsh at other times of day take on a smoother and softer quality and their subtle colors become visible.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography
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6 thoughts on “Two Hikers at the Summit of Death Valley Dunes”

  1. Dan –

    Definitely. It reminds me of a similar shot that made the best of 2009 list for you, when there’s a fisherman (I think?) standing on the cliff at Big Sur.

  2. Thanks, Ivan. You know, I think I should have included it – somehow it got left out at the last minute, probably because I only rediscovered the photograph near the very end of the year.

    Dan

  3. Dan –

    What a terrific photograph. Kind of surprised this one didn’t make your “best of 2010” list – I think this is one of the best ones yet!

    Two people in that photograph certainly add a lot of interest.

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