Category Archives: Photographs: Desert

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Dunes Meet Playa

Image Leave a comment
Dunes Meet Playa
Desert sand dunes meet the edge of a playa in evening light

Dunes Meet Playa. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Desert sand dunes meet the edge of a playa in evening light.

A late-winter or early-spring visit to Death Valley is always on my photographic agenda. This year I visited in early March, shortly after a big atmospheric river weather system had dumped tremendous amounts of rainfall all over Southern California. Years ago I became aware of the seeming irony that the effects of water are nowhere more visible than in Death Valley, and on this visit they were even more obvious. Playas were flooded, roads were washed out and closed, mud flows were everywhere, and the colors of the dunes were intensified by the remaining moisture.

I made this photograph in the evening of my final full day in the park. The light was challenging — late in the afternoon clouds began to arrive, and as the golden hour approached most of the color was drained from the light. I had traveled to this area of dunes hoping to find some interesting light — and a small group of photographer friends — but when I got there it did not look promising. I decided that instead of going directly to specific dune subjects I would find a high place with a wide panorama. From there I could see the entirety of the upper Valley and be ready to use a long lens to take advantage of any good light that might briefly appear, even if it should be at a distance. As dusk came on the sky opened a bit and glowing light from the west softly lit the boundary between playa and dunes.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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: People, Photographs: People In Landscape, Photographs: Photographers

Three Photographers, Evening Dunes

Image Leave a comment
Three Photographers, Evening Dunes
Three photographers deep within evening sand dunes

Three Photographers, Evening Dunes. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Three photographers deep within evening sand dunes.

In early March I had the opportunity to spend a few days back in Death Valley National Park. Although I was primarily there to meet up and camp with siblings, this was also a photographic opportunity. There were both pluses and minuses to the timing of this visit. Recent heavy rains and creating flooding everywhere, and many routes were closed by the flooding or wash-outs — there simply were quite a few places that one couldn’t go. At the same time, these are “special conditions” in this desert landscape, and there were quite a few unusual opportunities.

Once in the park I discovered that some friends from the Yosemite area were also their to make photographs. We managed to meet up on my second full day, and we combined forces to photograph Mesquite Dunes early one morning. Later I returned to this area of the Vally to photograph in fading light as clouds tried to clear. Right at sunset there was a break in the clouds just above the western horizon and brighter light came through to shine on the geography. I found myself a high place with a commanding view over a large swath of the landscape and began to photograph whichever areas momentarily picked up the light. As I looked down I spotted my three friends again, this time dwarfed by the large shapes of desert dunes.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

Commentary, Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Ridges and Haze

Image Leave a comment

Desert Ridges and Haze
Layers of desert ridges extend into distant haze

Desert Ridges and Haze. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Layers of desert ridges extend into distant haze

Desert landscapes are, in some ways, what I think of as the most “pure” landscapes. Their aridity means that there is rarely much to obscure the actual geology of these places — no forests, no grassy meadows, few bodies of water. The landscape is laid bare.

The colors, textures, and patterns of rock and soil are revealed, and the changing light paints this landscape in remarkable ways. The colors change throughout the day depending upon the height of the sun, the color of surfaces reflecting the light, and the clarity of the sky. The atmosphere itself changes the landscape — crystal clear air reveals distant features as if they were close by, while air filled with blowing sand and dust obscures detail and focuses attention on larger elements of the scene.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

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, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Wash and Mountains, Evening

Image Leave a comment

Desert Wash and Mountains, Evening
Cloudy evening light on Mountains, Death Valley, and a desert wash

Desert Wash and Mountains, Evening. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Cloudy evening light on Mountains, Death Valley, and a desert wash

When people ask for advice about how to photograph Death Valley, one thing I tell them is to think a lot about the relationships between the landscape and light throughout the day. Many features align along a generally north-south line, so you can figure out fairly quickly when a location may be in direct sun or produce dramatic shadows. (I also suggest heading into narrow canyons when the sun gets a bit higher in the sky — here the higher sun position may send welcome light into their depths, which can otherwise be a bit murky sometimes.

I made this photograph late in the day after emerging from one of those canyons near the top of a large wash. The wash and the nearby hill face to the west and, as you can see, receive that late afternoon light — at least until the sun dips behind the mountain range on the other side of the valley.

See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Email

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