Tag Archives: canyon

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

Twisting Desert Canyon

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Twisting Desert Canyon
A deep desert canyon winds between tall cliffs, Death Valley National Park.

Twisting Desert Canyon. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A deep desert canyon winds between tall cliffs, Death Valley National Park.

In a recent post I mentioned that I had finished sharing photographs from my January visit to Death Valley. What I did not mention was that we were heading back in late March to make more photographs. With this post I begin sharing photographs from this second trip. Death Valley is never the same twice, and on this visit we encountered rain, snow, high winds, and much more. In fact, our visit to this canyon was partially intended to avoid the winds sweeping through the valley that day.

I am making an exception to my policy of usually not naming specific locations: this is from Titus Canyon. A long, popular, and quite remarkable road traverses this route, starting in Nevada, climbing through high mountains, then descending a deep canyon to emerge in Death Valley. Last year’s historical rainfall damaged the road, and the only access is now by hiking. I write “damaged,” but the truth is that, at least in the lower canyon that we visited, the road was actually “obliterated.” There are literally no traces of it at all. It was a rare treat to experience this canyon as it must have been before automobiles.

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

Mountains and Fan, Morning

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Mountains and Fan, Morning
Morning light on desert mountains and an immense alluvial fan, Death Valley National Park.

Mountains and Fan, Morning. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning light on desert mountains and an immense alluvial fan, Death Valley National Park.

The scale of the landscape in Death Valley is difficult to comprehend. Vistas often encompass huge distances — it isn’t uncommon to be looking at mountains that are tens of miles away, sometimes many tens of miles. Entering this landscape on foot often reveals this truth: An alluvial fan that looks relatively manageable from a distance might take a hour or several to cross.

I made this photograph just after dawn. It looks across Death Valley toward the base of the Panamint Range, rugged and tall mountains topped by Telescope Peak, the highest point in the park. I used a long lens, which drastically compresses the distance. If you were to set out to walk to that wash on the distant alluvial fan at the base of the mountains it would take you at least a day to get there.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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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

Across the Canyon

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Across the Canyon
Morning light on a desert canyon and eroded hills, Death Valley National Park.

Across the Canyon. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning light on a desert canyon and eroded hills, Death Valley National Park.

Weeks ago I thought I was “done” with the photographs from my January visit to Death Valley National Park. As usual, I was wrong. I almost always end up returning later to files that I think I’ve picked over, and I inevitably find something that I missed. (I have a theory about this that has to do with how we see photographs right after we make them versus how we view them later on with some aesthetic distance.) I made this photograph on a morning when thick haze to the east softened the light.

The impetus for this return to the file archive was a posted by a friend who was photographing in the park just before the first day of spring. I recognized her camera position as being very close to a place that I had used in January, and when I went back to my files to verify my hunch I ended up plowing through the archive again. The fact that this photograph sees the light of day now is the result of multiple bits of serendipity. I was there to photograph an entirely different subject, and I only spotted this scene by turning away from that subject. I might never have “found” it again if it hadn’t been for the coincidence of seeing my friend’s photograph.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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

California Fall Color, Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Desert Hills, Morning Haze

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Desert Hills, Morning Haze
Morning haze obscures distant hills above badlands formations, Death Valley Naitonal Park.

Desert Hills, Morning Haze. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning haze obscures distant hills above badlands formations, Death Valley Naitonal Park.

This scene came as a complete surprise. I arrived at this location on a low ridge before dawn and photographed some striking geological formations to my north as the sun came up, gradually filling the landscape with light. Finishing with that subject, I turned around and looked in the opposite direction. Backlit haze had descended on the barren landscape and was glowing in the morning light.

In clear weather, this view reveals badlands in the foreground and dark and tall mountains beyond. But the light made the haze luminous and muted the details of the terrain. I’ve seen such atmosphere in this landscape before, but more often it has come as the result of dust storms. But this was a quiet and nearly still morning.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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