Tag Archives: abstract

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

Detail, Zabriskie Point Formations

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Detail, Zabriskie Point Formations
Detail, Zabriskie Point Formations

Detail, Zabriskie Point Formations. Death Valley National Park, California. March 29, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail photograph of patterns of barren hills and gullies at Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

From my series of detail photographs of smaller elements of the landscape at Zabriskie, and another one shot during atypical times of day – in this case in very bright afternoon sunshine. Because of these lighting conditions – color, intensity, and angle, the quality of the image is less “dreamy” than the typical early morning soft-light photographs of this area. Here you see more clearly the rough texture of the material making up the folds and gullies of these interesting hills that drop into Gower Gulch.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 330mm
ISO 100, f/16, 1/50 second

keywords: zabriskie, point, detail, hills, gullies, barren, dry, earth, dirt, afternoon, light, diagonal, forms, abstract, geology, nature, landscape, patterns, death valley, national park, scenic, travel, california, usa, north america, stock, eroded

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

Folds and Strata, Zabriskie Point

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Folds and Strata, Zabriskie Point
Folds and Strata, Zabriskie Point

Folds and Strata, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. March 29, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Convoluted folds topped by some stratified material at Zabraskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

A new hobby for me when photographing Zabriskie Point is to forego the famous panoramic views of Manley Beacon and the Panamints – well, at least sometimes – and to instead focus on smaller details of the patterns in the fantastically folded terrain. Starting about a year ago, I also became intrigued by the idea of shooting here at unusual times of the day: late morning, early afternoon, and so forth. I started doing this when a year ago I shot somewhere else at dawn and then happened to stop her much later in the morning – only to discover that some of the shapes and forms that are in shadow early in the day are actually better-lit later on.

On my late-March trip I did shoot Zabriskie at the “popular” time of dawn on one morning, but on another day I spent a good amount of time shooting here during the less classically ideal time in the middle of the afternoon. I was lucky enough to get just a bit of high thing clouds which reduced contrast just a bit, but kept the interesting shadows and illuminated ridges that appear at this time of day. When I shoot this way I go straight for a very long lens and focus on smaller details of the scene, ignoring the larger and broader landscape in favor of bits of a gully, shadowed or sunlit ridges, or a bit of strata material sitting on top of the folded material as seen here.

Rather than amp up the contrast and saturation – an easy trap to fall for in the afternoon light – I decided to keep the softer and less saturated effect that I was actually there when I made the photographs.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 250mm
ISO 100, f/16, 1/30 second

keywords: zabriskie, point, death valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, nature, landscape, geology, scenic, travel, form, formations, fold, gully, rock, strata, material, shadow, light, abstract, view, ridge, hill, manifold, overlook, desert, barren, stock

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

Rock Patterns, Mosaic Canyon

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Rock Patterns, Mosaic Canyon
Rock Patterns, Mosaic Canyon

Rock Patterns, Mosaic Canyon. Death Valley National Park, California. March 27, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Folded and twisted rock forms in Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley National Park, California.

Although this formation is found very near the entrance to the canyon, on this visit I also managed to wander further up the canyon than I have in the past, discovering very different and far more open terrain that what I had seen before. Mosaic Canyon, a short drive up the hill from Stovepipe Wells, is known for its very narrow and twisty lower section, its access to higher regions of the Mount Tucki area, and the striking and unusual rock formations laid bare by erosion from water traveling down the canyon in past floods.

In the lower canyon there is a section where this beautifully banded rock runs alongside the trail. Sometimes that patterns are a bit hard to see, but this time it appeared that recent rains and the soft afternoon shaded light brought them out a bit more. This section featured ribbon-like folds in the surface of the rock that must have been created by water erosion.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM at 105mm
ISO 100, f/11, 1/8 second

keywords: death valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, scenic, travel, nature, desert, mosaic, canyon, trail, rock, pattern, fold, twist, geology, groove, curve, crack, pink, abstract, texture, nature, erosion, travel, scenic, stock

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

Sand Patterns, Death Valley Dunes

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Sand Patterns, Death Valley Dunes
Sand Patterns, Death Valley Dunes

Sand Patterns, Death Valley Dunes. Death Valley National Park, California. March 28, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Linear and curved patterns in morning light at Death Valley Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California.

Early in the morning on the third day of my late March trip to Death Valley I wandered out to Death Valley Dunes near Stovepipe Wells, taking the easier route around the west end of the dunes and then walking toward the higher dunes and shooting more or less towards the rising sun. There are plenty of interesting subjects when approaching the dunes from this direction: the patterned mud (or so they seem) formations beneath the edge of the dunes, the many small plants coming up after recent rains, flowers everywhere, the taller dunes to the east catching the first light, and beyond them the darker peaks of the Amargosa Range.

After climbing to the top of a moderate size dune to get a better and more open view to the east I happened to look down and see this steep, sandy slope with its linear pattern apparently created as sand blew over the edge and down the side. Beyond are the more typical gentle and curving slopes – here with some footprints from the many people who had earlier wandered through this section of the dunes.

(I think that we are seeing more people walking out to the dunes now that the NPS has created a actual “official” parking lot with marked spaces, rest rooms, and interpretive signs – an update from the old practice of simply pulling off the side of the road.)

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 200mm
ISO 200, f/16, 1/50 second

keywords: death valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, nature, scenic, travel, landscape, dunes, lines, wind, ripple, wave, pattern, curve, shadow, light, texture, pattern, abstract, shape, morning, light, stovepipe, wells, tan, golden, stripe, foot, prints, stock, sand, hill