Category Archives: Photographs: Desert

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

Blue Dunes

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Blue Dunes
Death Valley sand dunes in evening light.

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

Death Valley sand dunes in evening light.

Among the things I have learned — or perhaps relearned with greater certainty — during this time of semi-isolation when we are unable to travel to the places we long to see and photograph is that I often overlook photographs with potential as I focus on the most obvious things and as I rush to move forward to the next project. During the past six-plus weeks I have been digging into archives of raw files that I left behind last year, and I’ve discovered some overlooked images that I now find interesting.

I made this photograph on a spring evening. I had been photographing sunset light on dunes and mountains, and I kept photographing (of course!) after the sun set and the light diminished and softened. I made only a single exposure of this particular view of this subject, perhaps thinking that the presence of a few sand-filled footprints across the dune might “ruin” the scene.

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.

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

Morning, Dune Shadows

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Morning, Dune Shadows
Sand dunes with blue-tinted shadows and scattered creosote plants in soft morning light.

Morning, Dune Shadows. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sand dunes with blue-tinted shadows and scattered creosote plants in soft morning light.

As I usually do when photographing here, I arrived very early and began my walk out to a less-busy area of the dunes well before sunrise. The dawn and sunset transitions between night and day move quickly and, of course, present some of the most interesting visual opportunities. I photograph right though these transitional periods, often working quickly to try to take advantage of as many of the transient opportunities as possible.

When I look at this photograph I recall many things from this morning and others like it. The air is still and only hinting at the intense heat that will arrive later. As the first sunlight hits the tops of the dunes there is a striking contrast between the warm colors in the light and the blues in the shadows, where the light comes from the overhead bowl of the blue sky. As sun rises higher the light intensifies and the color gradually becomes less intense, providing new photographic opportunities.

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.

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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

Dry Desert Flowers, Winter

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A crop of dry winter desert flowers, Panamint Mountains.

Dry Desert Flowers, Winter. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A crop of dry winter desert flowers, Panamint Mountains.

This may the be the final example in the small series of photographs of dry winter flowers I made in Death Valley this past January, when I spent a few days poking around odd corners of the park. I found this flower — not hard to do if you just stop and look! — during a brief stop along a gravel road. I had paused to take a look at old signs of a mining camp, and as I wandered the area I noticed that these flowers were everywhere.

When I think of desert wildflowers I am usually contemplating the brief (and variable) late winter and early spring bloom that comes when there has been sufficient rainfall. In January, as you can imagine, wildflowers were just about the last subject on my mind. But once again, after all these years of going to such places, I was reminded that there is always something new to discover.

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.

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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

Desert Mountains, Dust Storm

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Desert Mountains, Dust Storm
A desert dust storm obscures Amargosa Range mountains and ridges, Death Valley National Park.

Desert Mountains, Dust Storm. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A desert dust storm obscures Amargosa Range mountains and ridges, Death Valley National Park.

Death Valley dust storms are beautiful and terrible things. They are, from an objective point of view, very unpleasant. The wind alone can make it difficult to do much of anything, especially photography. The dust gets into everything, including camera equipment and your eyes, and is a constant, uncomfortable presence. A really bad dust storm is one of those things that helpfully remind us of how small and insignificant we are in this grand landscape.

The dust storm on this late afternoon was approaching that level. Having seen a few of these in Death Valley, there were a few things that were different about this one, most notably that the wind was carrying the thick dust into place where I don’t usually see it, including far up into the Amargosa Mountain range. It was so windy and dusty in the spot where I stopped to make the photograph that I was only able to cower behind the shelter of my vehicle just long enough to make a few exposures.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question.

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