Morning, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park. April 4, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

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Dawn, Manley Beacon at Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park. April 4, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
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(Note: Due to technical issues, the original version of the text that accompanied this photograph has been lost. What appears below is a new description written in 2026.)

The subject of this photograph is, of course, the iconic Death Valley view from Zabriskie Point. The traditional experience is to arrive here well before dawn in order to be ready for the light show that may come before, during, and after sunrise. The first direct light appears on the summit of the distant Panamint Mountains (at Telescope Peak) and then works its way down the face of the range. It slowly crosses the Valley and eventually lights the badlands formations below the camera position. The special feature on this morning was the broken deck of clouds that directed beams of morning light on isolated bits of the landscape.

Sand Storm, Old Stovepipe Wells. Death Valley National Park. April 3, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
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