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

Morning Clouds, Desert Mountains

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Morning Clouds, Desert Mountains
“Morning Clouds, Desert Mountains” — Layers of colorful dawn clouds above Searles Valley and distant peaks of Death Valley National Park.

The distant peaks seen here are within the boundaries of Death Valley National Park, but I was a good distance outside the park when I made the photograph. I had gone to the Trona Pinnacles, outside the extractive mining town of Trona to photograph. But the visual action wasn’t that at the pinnacles that morning — it was far to the north above these snow-capped desert mountains, where lenticular clouds caught the dawn light and momentarily glowed with intense color.

The town of Trona is like many desert towns in Southern California and the Southwest. It is far from being a ghost town, but it has the air of a place whose best days are distinctly behind it. The economy is built around extractive industries, in particular mining the mineral deposits of the Searles Valley playa. People still live and work here, but a drive past the town reveals abandoned homes and businesses, left to decay in the desert sun and wind.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Desert Peak, Clearing Storm

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Desert Peak, Clearing Storm
“Desert Peak, Clearing Storm” — Clearing clouds swirl around the summit of a desert mountain following overnight snowfall.

If you are unfamiliar with the place, you may be surprised that this scene is in Death Valley National Park. That desert park is famous for recording the hottest recorded temperature on planet, known for its arid playas and immense sand dunes. But there are mountains, too, some of which reach as much as 11,000′ above that dry valley. During the winter they are cold places and snow is common.

In mid-March I arrived at the park at the tail end of a series of stormy days. It had rained in the valley — apparently enough that some campers departed early — and snowed at the higher elevations. The Panamint Mountains towered to my right as I drove into the park through the Panamint Valley. Although the rain had mostly stopped at the lower elevations, snow flurries continued among the peaks.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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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, Photographs: Southern California

Flooded Playa

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Flooded Playa
“Flooded Playa” — The flooded landscape of the playa near Manly Lake, Death Valley.

This is another in a series of photographs of the floor of Death Valley near Badwater, photographed from high in the Black Mountains early one morning. Following a historic storm in August of 2023, this part of the valley flooded, partially reconstituting the historic Lake Manly. There is still a lot of water, and many areas of the playa are currently inaccessible.

To make these photographs I used very long focal length lenses, which allowed me to isolate small areas in this vast terrain. The formations seen here are in a very flat area just upstream of Lake Manly. The area is mostly a salt flat in normal times. Here the blue water makes visible the many wandering channels through which the water flows.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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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, Photographs: Southern California

Lake Manly Shoreline, Desert Mountains

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Lake Manly Shoreline, Desert Mountains
“Lake Manly Shoreline, Desert Mountains” The dark Panamint Mountains rise in the distance beyond the shoreline of ephemeral Lake Manly.

Typically I might simply not attempt to photograph this scene. The glaring sunlight, while somewhat filtered by the clouds, was brightly lighting the white sand deposits along the shoreline of Lake Manly. Distance, haze, and backlight combined to mute the details of the Panamint Mountains. And this light was harsh, not the softer light of early morning or evening. But somehow I felt that the composition and the drama of the light and atmosphere held some promise.

The salt deposits reminded me of important things about this valley. They were a reminder — as is the water of ephemeral Lake Manly — that water played a major role in the formation of this place. And, as high as the water of the lake was at this moment, the yet higher salt deposits made it clear that this is not an unprecedented thing, and that even higher lake levels are still probably possible.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

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