Desert Plants, Dunes, and Mountains in Late Afternoon Light. Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Arrow weed plants grow on the flats below transverse dunes, Kit Fox Hills, and peaks of the Amargosa Range, Death Valley National Park
For such a desolate spot, this area can be quite beautiful at the right time of day and in the right light. I had gone here to climb a nearby low hill, but found the plants leading off towards low dunes and then successfully rising hills distracted me for a moment from my initial goal. The late sunlight coming in at a low angle gave a warmth to the desert colors that is not usually seen during the midday hours.
The mountains across the valley are a frequent subject of mine, usually but not quite always late in the day when the western sun casts warm light on them near sunset and, even better, just after sunset when the glowing sky can cast soft blue or even purple light on the mountains. This range is a bit more complex than it might first seem. The rise seems to begin at low sand dunes that are out in the valley a ways from the actual mountains. Then a range of low hills crosses just above the valley floor – I’ve heard them called the Kit Fox Hills. Above these hills and a giant gravel fan, higher and more rugged mountains rise to the summit of the Amargosa Range.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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