This is, in several ways, kind of an odd Death Valley photograph. The fine-grained gravel covering the slopes and hills here are not widespread in the park — in most places the ground tends to be lighter in color. On the other hand, the curving shapes and runoff erosion channels are seen elsewhere, as are the plants. (If you look very closely, you will see not only the larger green plants but lots of small wildflower shoots just emerging.)
This is a location that has long intrigued… and frustrated me. It belongs to a class of landscape subjects that can be surprisingly difficult to photograph. I’ll come across such places, and immediately have a sense that there is an obvious photograph there. But once I get out the equipment and start looking for compositions they are almost impossible to find! That has happened on several previous visits to this spot — but this time I think I found a few!
COMMENT OR QUESTION? Scroll down to the comment form.
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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.