Desert Mountains and Dunes, Morning

Desert Mountains and Dunes, Morning
Desert mountains in shadow and early morning sun on dunes, Death Valley National Park.

Desert Mountains and Dunes, Morning. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Desert mountains in shadow and early morning sun on dunes, Death Valley National Park.

If you have been following along recently, you may recall me writing that this rocky ridge would show up a few more times in the photographs from my recent Death Valley visit. Although I never actually went to that ridge, it was off to the side as I walked to and from another subject on one evening and the following morning. The ridge runs a bit further to the right before ending with a spur that extends slightly into the broad, flat desert valley beyond.

Late in the day the surface of this ridge takes on the warm tones of sunset light, and the color of the ridge is quite different. Some red tones in the rock combine with the reddish light to produce a very colorful appearance. But this photograph was made the next morning, when the light comes from the other direction, leaving that same face in the cool-toned shadows. I made the photograph as the sun was gaining enough elevation to shine over the top of the ridge, striking the sand dunes that are near its base.


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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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5 thoughts on “Desert Mountains and Dunes, Morning”

  1. I was using the sunlight! And unfortunately I don’t know that spot but I feel like I do through your photographs! It’s so hard for me to travel because we do dog rescue and we always have a special needs creature that needs a lot of my attention, so I ‘travel’ through your website! Thank you!!

  2. Yes, indeed! Do you know that spot, or are you using the direction of the sunlight to figure it out? :-)

    Dan

  3. Sometimes the signs me in with my Gravatar (subpopgirl) and sometimes it sounds me in with my name I don’t know why but it’s me lol

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