First Light, Desert Mountains. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
The first morning light on a ridge in desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.
One important factor to keep in mind when photographing in Death Valley National Park is the roughly north-south orientation of most of the valleys and mountain ranges. In a broad sense, this tends to give us two ways to photograph these subjects in the morning or evening — one in direct sun and the other in shadow and backlight. This is such a basic aspect of the park’s geography, that I often organize my daily photography around it. (There are some variations on this theme, for example in locations where some features face more towards the north or south, and interesting light often slants across them.)
This photograph takes in a small segment of the east face of the Panamint Mountains, the gigantic range separating Death Valley from the Panamint Valley to the west. This east-facing aspect of the range rises over 11,000′ from Badwater to the summit of Telescope Peak, and most of it has a remarkably rugged and barren appearance. Because it is so tall, the “sunrise” takes place over a longer time as the light works its way down from the highest peaks and ridges to the alluvial fans at their base and eventually to Death Valley itself.
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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