Tag Archives: arid

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

Dunes and Shadows

Image February 22, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Low angle light casts shadows across sand dunes, Death Valley.

Sand dunes provide a virtually infinite range of photographic subjects, from the shapes of the tallest dunes down to the footprints of tiny creatures. In many ways, they are canvas on which the light paints, creating changing patterns of light and shadow and changing colors throughout the day. Sometimes the changes are very slow and the scene can appear static, for example during the midday hours. At other times the light changes so fast that it is easy to miss.

I photographed this dune scene when the sun was low in the sky, casting long and deep shadows across the large and small patterns. Not all dunes are so extensive, but these stretched away into the far distance.

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

Rocks, Playa, Desert Mountains

Image February 21, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Afternoon light on desert mountains beyond rocks and playa, Death Valley.

This spot has drawn my attention over many years of visits to Death Valley. It would be easy to miss — it is just a rock-covered hill next to a roadway, in a location where people are most likely looking in a different direction. But I stop here frequently and poke around, looking for photographs. It hasn’t been easy!

One of the challenges here is that, in my view, the best time to photograph here is in the late afternoon, just before the sun drops behind the far ridge. Not only does this bring the challenges of shooting almost directly into the sun, but the black rocks and easy turn into pure black shadows. It is also a bit of a challenge to find combinations of rocks that have some kind of compositional integrity. This photograph comes from an afternoon when some dust and haze highlighted light beams from the late-day sun.

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

Desert Holly, Badlands Wash

Image February 19, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A desert holly plant grows in a wash in Death Valley badlands.

I went to this general location to photograph something else — there’s a nearby vista that I had photographed during mid-morning light, and I wanted to try it a bit earlier in the day. As I slowly headed that way I was distracted by many other possibilities. One was this little wash, emerging from low, eroded badlands hills and quickly emptying into a much larger main stem wash. The wash was almost barren, with only a few desert holly plants here and there.

This desert plant is among my favorites. That may seem a bit odd, as it doesn’t display spectacular flowers, its color is a subtle gray-green, and often whole sections of the plant seem dormant or dead. But it is a survivor, growing in remarkably dry and inhospitable places — like this gravel-filled wash, a very hot and exposed place that rarely receives significant rain.

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

Dune Patterns, Evening

Image February 18, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Evening side-light highlights the textures of san dunes, Death Valley National Park.

What photographic visit to Death Valley would be complete without at least one photograph of sand dunes? I did not devote much time to that subject on this visit, but I did spend an evening among the dunes, arriving before sunset and continuing to photograph into the early dusk, when I could work with softer light.

In this location the direct light ends a bit before the actual sunset time, since a range of tall mountains stands to the west, casting long shadows across the dunes. After photographing there for years, I’m still surprised when these shadows arrive and suddenly the light is gone. I made this photograph during the brief window of golden hour light just before that happened.

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G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: arid

Dunes and Shadows

Rocks, Playa, Desert Mountains

Desert Holly, Badlands Wash

Dune Patterns, Evening

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