Category Archives: Photographs: Desert

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Distant Ridge, Dusk

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Distant Ridge, Dusk
A distant ridge in dusk light, viewed from a high point in Death Valley Naitonal Park.

Distant Ridge, Dusk. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A distant ridge in dusk light, viewed from a high point in Death Valley Naitonal Park.

This was just about the final photograph that I made at this location high in Death Valley National Park’s Black Mountains. I had arrived here well before sunset, remaining to photograph the light transitions as the day came to an end. The valleys directly below had gone dark by this point, so I quickly moved to a nearby spot and switched my attention from the west to the east, where a distant snow-capped ridge in Nevada was visible beneath the dusk sky.

In a previous post I mentioned that landscape photography isn’t always a slow, sedate process. It can be, but the light, sky, and landscape can also change very quickly. When I saw this late light I had to switch into “fast landscape” mode as the light quickly faded, and I managed to make a couple of exposures before the show was over and it was time to head back to camp.

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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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Death Valley, Black Mountains Ridge, Sunset

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Death Valley, Black Mountains Ridge, Sunset
Looking across a Black Mountain ridge in sunset light toward Death Valley.

Death Valley, Black Mountains Ridge, Sunset. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Looking across a Black Mountain ridge in sunset light toward Death Valley.

It looks like I am getting nearer to the end of the photographs from my late-January visit to Death Valley National Park. As I mentioned previously, washed out roads and other issues forced me to change my plans after I arrived, as some of the more distant areas I hoped to visit were inaccessible. But that’s OK — instead I wandered into a few lonely places closer to major park landmarks that I had previously overlooked, and I even visited this popular place one evening. From this perch, high in the Black Mountains, I photographed the last bit of sunset light on a nearby ridge.

While photographing so-called icons isn’t my main thing, when the opportunity comes up and the conditions are right I am perfectly happy to take advantage. This was one of those times. I had a free evening when I hadn’t planned to photograph any other subjects, so I headed up here… and I recalled why it is such a popular place. I was also reminded, yet again, that landscape photography isn’t always a slow and sedate process — I barely had time to set up before the beautiful light on the foreground ridge faded.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Desert Mountains, Morning Haze

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Desert Mountains, Morning Haze
Morning haze obscures the details on a series of desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

Desert Mountains, Morning Haze. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning haze obscures the details on a series of desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

This is another serendipitous photograph, and if you compared it to many of the other photographs I made at this location you would never guess that they came from the same place, same time, and same conditions. I was there to photograph dawn light on some nearby geological features. Dawn arrived with beautiful saturated light and clear air. When I finished with that I turned around to face the rising sun… and found the landscape’s details almost obliterated by the glowing, back-lit haze.

I’m not sure what, exactly, typifies a “typical” Death Valley photograph — but I know that these conditions were somewhat unusual. The haze made the successive hills fade into the distance, and the foreground area with the clearest details was in shadows. In the end, I think it has a mood that is different from any of my other photographs from Death Valley.

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.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

From Valley To Peaks

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From Valley To Peaks
In morning light, he Panamint Range rises from below sea level in Death Vally to over 11,000 feet at Telescope Peak.

From Valley To Peaks. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The Panamint Range rises in morning light from below sea level in Death Vally to over 11,000 feet at Telescope Peak.

Earlier I shared another photograph of this series of impressive ridges, rising in the dawn light from the below-sea-level playa of Death Valley to the 11,000’+ summit of Telescope Peak. The other photograph took in a wider view of the landscape. In this one I narrowed the focus to emphasize the immense mass of these mountains and their astonishingly tall escarpment.

It is very hard to get an accurate sense of scale for this scene. This was true when I was there, and I suspect it is even more true when looking at the photograph. The base of the mountains is many miles away — I don’t have an accurate measurement, but it must be more than ten miles. If you look closely, you may notice that it takes four ridges to reach that highest summit, whose distance is likely something like 25-30 miles. And if you look closely you can pick out a series of four ridges as the mountains rise to the summit.

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.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.