Category Archives: Photographs: Southern California

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

Gulllies and Strata, Morning Light

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Gulllies and Strata, Morning Light, Death Valley
“Gulllies and Strata, Morning Light” — Highly eroded gullies and strata, Death Valley National Park.

Some geological formations in Death Valley National Park are simply otherworldly. The sparse vegetation lays these features bare — they are more visible than in places covered by forests and other vegetation. The landscape has been uplifted, split, warped, and eroded in remarkable ways. Here tilted strata emerge in deeply eroded land, and morning shadows add more contrast.

I’ve often noted the irony that this place, known for its dryness and heat, is one of the best places to clearly see the effects of water on the landscape. The material in these formations was laid down under water millennia ago. And the diagonal gullies were created by water erosion. If you have your eyes open, you’ll see that the evidence of water’s effect on the landscape is visible everywhere in this park.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | 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: Sky, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Mountains and Sky

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Desert Mountains and Sky, Death Valley
“Desert Mountains and Sky” — Evening clouds form above desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

First day photographic subjects in Death Valley are often a bit tricky for me. It takes me about eight hours to drive from the San Francisco Bay Area, and when I arrive I have to find a campsite and set up my tent and other gear. By the time I finish it is typically getting close to the time when normal people would be eating dinner. Tempting, no? But I shift into “photographer mode,” and head out to find something to photograph — I’ll eat after dark when I return to camp.

While I do photograph on the first evening of these trips, I don’t generally travel that far to do it. This first evening was kind of lazy. I drove fifteen minutes to an area I know, and there I walked to the top of a nearby hill to check out the view, including these clouds. The sky is a fascinating subject in Death Valley. While big dramatic rain storms are rare (but not impossible) sometimes atmospheric conditions are affected by weather fronts that fall apart over the desert, leaving broken, dissipating clouds like these — and they can be quite dramatic.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | 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

Canyon Narrows, Amargosa Range

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Canyon Narrows, Arargosa Range, Death Valley National Park.
“Canyon Narrows, Amargosa Range” — A section of narrows in a Death Valley canyon.

You are going to see a fair number of Death Valley canyon photographs here over the next few weeks as I share images from my late February visit to the park. With a few exceptions, the most interesting canyons in the park — and there are many of them! — are less accessible than some of the other famous features. You might have to drive on dirt roads, hike up huge fans and washes, or walk through long sections of less-remarkable valleys to get to the “good stuff.” But the best of them are well worth the effort.

The canyon experience contrasts with the vast distances, intense heat and dryness, and harsh sunlight which we think of as typical in Death Valley. Canyons can be cool and shady and their narrow confines often restrict your views to a few meters. The light is often soft and filtered as it bounces down from high above. As they cut though ridges and mountains he canyons reveal ancient strata. Perhaps best of all, they are often quiet and lonely places where time seems to stop.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.narrows, slot, constrict, stone, rock, cliff, wall, gravel, wash, erosion, amargosa, range, fall, canyon, shade, dark, geology, landscape, hike, nature, travel, california, desert, usa, north, america

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

Badlands Gullies, Morning

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Badlands Gullies, Morning — Death Valley
“Badlands Gullies, Morning” — The first direct sunlight sweeps across the curving shapes of badlands erosion gullies, Death Valley.

I have a rule about returning to photograph popular subjects that I first photographed years ago: Only stop if it looks like something unusual and very special might happen. The rule applies to Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, where scores of photographers (and others) gather before dawn to await the sunrise. During the last week of February I drove past on my way to a different subject. In the dim light I thought I saw developing clouds that might produce something special at sunrise. So I (literally) slammed on the brakes, turned around, parked, and joined the throng.

The special light I hoped for didn’t develop. Instead of turning colorful at sunrise, the colors just went flat. Ah, well. I can never be fully certain about what will happen in these situations, and my hunches merely improve the odds — sometimes things don’t work like I hope. But there I was, set up to make photograph s at this location. So, what else could I photograph there? I turned my attention to nearby badlands terrain and photographed it as the direct light arrived, softened a bit by high clouds.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


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