Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Sand Waves – Death Valley Dunes at Dusk

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Sand Waves - Death Valley Dunes at Dusk

Sand Waves – Death Valley Dunes at Dusk. Death Valley National Park, California. April 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Color photograph of “sand waves” at dusk on the transverse dunes in front of the main Death Valley Dunes near Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park. Photographed after sunset as the last light began to fade.

A couple notes on the photograph… I had just barely arrived and set up camp when the light started to turn as sunset approached. My brother and I realized that we needed to “go now!” if we were to catch the light, so we jumped in the vehicle and had just enough time to get to this spot and pull over at the side of the road. There was no time to head out onto the dunes so I put the long lens (400mm) on the camera and approached the subject it a different way than I might have otherwise.

keywords: color, photo, photography, sand, waves, desert, plants, pink, blue, sunset, dusk, death valley, national park, dunes, funeral mountains, stock, landscape, scenic, travel, nature, california, usa, footprints

Ideas

Photographers as a Security Threat?

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From time to time photographers share stories about being harassed by police and security officers for photographing public sites. Some cities have even gotten in on the act, taking very odd action such as outlawing or restricting the use of tripods in public places. In general, these actions completely baffle photographers.

From an article in the Guardian:

Given that real terrorists, and even wannabe terrorists, don’t seem to photograph anything, why is it such pervasive conventional wisdom that terrorists photograph their targets? Why are our fears so great that we have no choice but to be suspicious of any photographer?

Because it’s a movie-plot threat.

The article is an interesting read. The point is that an imaginary threat has been concocted in the public consciousness that it completely unrelated to any real danger. The article goes on:

The 9/11 terrorists didn’t photograph anything. Nor did the London transport bombers, the Madrid subway bombers, or the liquid bombers arrested in 2006. Timothy McVeigh didn’t photograph the Oklahoma City Federal Building. The Unabomber didn’t photograph anything; neither did shoe-bomber Richard Reid. Photographs aren’t being found amongst the papers of Palestinian suicide bombers. The IRA wasn’t known for its photography. Even those manufactured terrorist plots that the US government likes to talk about — the Ft. Dix terrorists, the JFK airport bombers, the Miami 7, the Lackawanna 6 — no photography.

Photographers should know that virtually all public photography is quite legal in the USA. The public should understand that it is also almost always completely innocent.

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.

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Death Valley Dunes and Funeral Mountains

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Death Valley Dunes and Funeral Mountains

Death Valley Dunes and Funeral Mountains. Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Color photograph of Death Valley Dunes and Funeral Mountains – Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park. Photographed very early on a spring morning as the sun rose high enough above the dunes to cast these vary shallow shadows across the slope.

keywords: color, photo, photography, death valley, dunes, funeral, mountains, national park, california, usa, sand, morning, shadow, desert, morning, landscape, travel, scenic, stock, stovepipe, stove, pipe, wells

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Spring Flowers and Seeds

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Spring Flowers and Seeds
Spring Flowers and Seeds. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. April 12, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Color photograph of spring flowers (larkspur, or delphinium) with seeds, and foliage. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California.

Photographed along a trail through a small canyon where I frequently hike and which I always return to each spring. I was intrigued by the combination of the purple flowers and the seeds on the curving stem.

keywords: color, photo, photography, flowers, seeds, foliage, grass, leaves, stems, spring, new, nature, plants, almaden, quicksilver, santa clara county, park, san jose, california, usa, green, purple, stock

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.