Blue Dunes

Blue Dunes
Death Valley sand dunes in evening light.

Blue Dunes. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Death Valley sand dunes in evening light.

Among the things I have learned — or perhaps relearned with greater certainty — during this time of semi-isolation when we are unable to travel to the places we long to see and photograph is that I often overlook photographs with potential as I focus on the most obvious things and as I rush to move forward to the next project. During the past six-plus weeks I have been digging into archives of raw files that I left behind last year, and I’ve discovered some overlooked images that I now find interesting.

I made this photograph on a spring evening. I had been photographing sunset light on dunes and mountains, and I kept photographing (of course!) after the sun set and the light diminished and softened. I made only a single exposure of this particular view of this subject, perhaps thinking that the presence of a few sand-filled footprints across the dune might “ruin” the scene.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

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