Sand Dune Shadows. © Copyright 2022.G Dan Mitchell.
Creosote plants cast long shadows across sand dunes in early morning light.
On every visit to Death Valley National Park I like to combine return visits to places I have visited before with visits to new locations. In the former case I often continue to expand my knowledge of familiar subjects and try to see them in new ways. In the latter I bring what I already have learned about this landscape to these new locations and see how I can draw on that to understand these new places. I made this photograph in a place that I’ve long thought about visiting and finally got to on this trip.
I camped nearby overnight, which gave me the opportunity to photograph in evening and morning light. On that first evening it was exciting to head out on the walk to this new place, unsure of what I would find or how I would photograph it. Early the next morning, as I walked across nearly the same route, the place was already starting to feel like “mine” a little bit, both from the previous night’s visit and from recognizing features familiar to me from elsewhere in the park. These creosote bushes were in a flat area at the base of taller dunes, and as the sun rose over the tops of these dunes the plants cast long shadows.
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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Yes, late January. Though in this part of the world the weather is often not all that wintry. I did have to dress a little bit warmly, but it was pretty comfortable!
Wow! So I guess this picture was taken not only in early light but also winter?
Truth be told, those plants were not as tall as I’ am!
Dan
By the shadows one would think they were 50 feet tall or more, but I bet they were really only 15 or so! And yes very much a thought provoking abstract photo!
I’m glad you are wondering about the size! One thing that appeals to me about some desert landscapes (and some other landscapes, too) is that there aren’t too many things to give a true sense of scale, and this helps us see them as abstractions.
It’s a lovely photo for lots of reasons, and makes you think! I’m trying to figure out about how tall those creosote plants are. What a shadow ratio!