Tag Archives: death valley

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

Strata and Folds, Evening

July 28, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Desert terrain of contorted and folded strata

It has been well over a year since I made this photograph, but I remember the evening well. I had arrived in Death Valley earlier in the day, by way of a detour through the Los Angeles area, found a place to camp, and was now starting several days of intensive photography in the area. In the evening I headed south in the park to a particular knoll that I have photographed from before, with the idea of photographing a particular subject in some light that I had in mind.

I found and photographed that subject, though conditions weren’t quite what I expected. A combination of evening haze and strong winds presented some challenges — and I’ll need to return to the spot to make that photograph that I originally envisioned. However, from this elevated position there was a spectacular view of arid and rugged desert terrain in the opposite direction, so as the light on my original subject faded I turned my attention in this direction. There are many things to think about and say about terrain like this, but I’ll mention one thing. When we look at such a place our first impression is of the rugged dryness. But when we look again we see evidence of water everywhere in such a landscape — in those valleys, and in the gullies tracing twisting lines down the faces of the formations.

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

Barren Slopes

July 22, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Boulders scattered across the slopes of a rocky desert landscape

This bit of landscape is a familiar one for me. An odd hill stands in the middle of mostly level playa and near drifting sand — the hill is composed of a different and darker material and is in other ways not like the surroundings. A number of years ago I discovered that place provides some panoramic views of surrounding terrain that stretch off into the distance, and I often go there early in the morning or in the evening to photograph when conditions seem right.

On this evening I did go there, but decided to wander along its flank rather than go to the top. At the base of the western slopes the rugged and rocky terrain faced the sunset sky, muted by high clouds, and presented a series of shallow valleys leading off into the distance, punctuated by boulders.

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

Badlands, Evening

July 15, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Evening light on deeply eroded terrain, Death Valley National Park

Early each spring I head back to Death Valley for several days of exploration and photography. In March of 2015 I began my trip with a visit to Los Angeles, from which I departed and drove to the park to set up my camp. My typical ritual is to arrive in the early afternoon, find a campsite, get set up and settled in, wait for early evening, and then head out for my first photography in this vast landscape.

I began by heading to an area of the Valley with expansive views across to the Panamint Mountains, backlit by the early evening sun. I photographed them through a moody haze from an elevated spot that I often go to. Before long the light on these mountains faded as the sun dropped behind them, and my attention turned to nearer formations on my side of the valley, which were now being illuminated by the warm evening light. The low angle delineated the complex structures of these badlands during the last few minutes of light.

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

Desert Wildflowers

June 28, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A carpet of desert spring flowers, Death Valley National Park

My alternative title for this photograph might have been “What’s Underfoot.” We were a bit too later for this year’s (near?) superbloom in parts of southern Death Valley National Park, but we still found plenty of flowers during out late March visit. Many desert plants are opportunistic, holding off on their blooms in dry years and then going exuberantly wild in wetter years. This wasn’t one of the truly wet seasons, though it was wetter than the recent drought years might have suggested, and in many places the flowers responded.

I made this photograph in one of those Death Valley locations that might seem both very special and not at all special, depending on your orientation to the place. We drove out on a long road that traverses a high valley. By comparison to, say, the high peaks of the Sierra, the terrain seems unremarkable, with vast stretches of undifferentiated desert vegetation leading to dry and rocky ridges. But the vast space is special, in and of itself, and there turns out to be more to look at and experience than might first be apparent. I knew from previous visits that thick wildflowers were a possibility, and I knew that if we just pulled off the road and looked that we would find them. At one of these stops I simply took my camera and walked off a bit and found a dense carpet of plants and flowers, taking full advantage of this brief period of sunlight and a bit of moisture.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: death valley

Strata and Folds, Evening

Barren Slopes

Badlands, Evening

Desert Wildflowers

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