Tag Archives: advice

Locations

Photographing Death Valley – Part 1

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This material concerning Death Valley is unavailable while revisions are underway. Thanks for your understanding. In the meantime, I will respond to comments left on this page.

(Update 3/22/13: The planned update to this article has been long-delayed, and for that I apologize. It turns out that the way I want to approach the subject in the revised version is a bit more complicated than I expected. I had anticipated completing an update in early 2013, but I decided to wait until after this year’s shoot in Death Valley so that I would write with that experience fresh in my mind.)

Also, more (but not all!) of my Death Valley photography is found here: https://gdanmitchell.com/gallery/v/NaturalWorld/TheLandscape/Desert/DeathValley/

(Note: After a conversation with a friend who is a retired Yosemite ranger, in which he articulately explained why he has concerns about sharing overly specific information about sensitive and fragile places too widely, I have decided to revise this article about photographing Death Valley. The goal is to remove some of the unnecessarily specific details about places that don’t need a lot more publicity, and to let photographers who are new this wonderful park learn about it the way I did and continue to do – by slowly exploring and adding to my knowledge and experience of the place rather than looking for a quick list of the “great shots.” I hope you’ll understand.

© Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Commentary

I’m Considering a Change to the Discussion Software – Perhaps Moving to Disqus?

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Recently I ran a little experiment and replaced the built-in discussion/comment feature at my dan’s outside blog with the Disqus equivalent. The experiment seems to have gone well: people continued to post a few messages on that low-traffic site, there were no complaints, and Disqus seems to provide some interesting features.

With that test under my belt I’m considering making the switch here as well. It appears that previous comments will all be ported over to the new service and will still be available here – on the same pages if I’m not mistaken. If anyone has any warnings, concerns, or advice… now would be a great time to drop me a line or leave a comment!

Commentary, Equipment

Shopping for your first DSLR? Some Advice

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Recently I’ve seen a lot of posts around the web by individuals looking to upgrade from point and shoot cameras to their first DSLR – and in a few cases by folks who intend to bypass the P&S step entirely and just start right out with a DSLR.

Among these folks the questions are usually “which camera should I get?” and “what lens(es) should I get?” These questions are phrased in various ways: “Is camera X a good choice?” “What is the best lens for Camera Y?” “I hear that lens/camera Z is the best – is this right?” “I’m just getting started and I plan to get the very best camera and lens available.” “What lenses do I need to complete my setup?”

While there are exceptions to almost every rule, in the case of new DSLR shooters I have some strong opinions about what the best approach will be in most cases. The good news is that the “right” answer is probably also the least expensive, the most conducive to learning about your relationship to DSLR photography, and the most adaptable to a variety of future directions that you might find your photography taking. Continue reading Shopping for your first DSLR? Some Advice →

Commentary, Locations

Best time to visit Death Valley AND Yosemite?

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I just saw and replied to a forum post asking about the best time to try to visit Death Valley, the eastern Sierra, Tioga Pass/Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite Valley in one trip that starts in Las Vegas and ends in Sacramento. I’m reposting my reply here since I’ve heard others ask similar questions elsewhere. Note that despite the lengthy post, this doesn’t by any means completely answer this question. So, with minor edits, here is what I posted:

When to do a trip that includes Death Valley and Yosemite Valley and everything in between? This is a very tough question.

The “best” time to visit Death Valley is generally thought to be in the November to early April time frame – but that coincides with closure of the Tioga Pass entrance into  Yosemite National Park, typically lasting from possibly (but not always) late October or mid-November until (usually) sometime in May.

So, I think it becomes a question of which end of the trip you want to compromise. Do you want to deal with Death Valley during the very hottest time or do you want to deal with the potential for a very long drive around the southern part of the Sierra (and missing the “east side”) in order to get to The Valley after the pass closes?

I travel and photograph throughout this area a lot, so let me offer some ideas. Continue reading Best time to visit Death Valley AND Yosemite? →