Tag Archives: death valley

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

Creosote, Dunes, Shadows

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Creosote, Dunes, Shadows
A clump of creosote among dunes shadowed by early morning light.

Creosote, Dunes, Shadows. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A clump of creosote among dunes shadowed by early morning light.

This photograph comes from nearly one year ago on the 2019 edition of my annual early spring visits to Death Valley National Park. (There will be no spring visit this year, what with shelter-in-place orders and so forth — fortunately I was there in January.) The late March and early April time frame is often ideal for wildflowers and for splitting the difference between winter cold and the unbearable heat that arrives in spring. Is there a downside? Yes. Lots of other people seem to have the same idea, and the number increases every year.

The sand dunes are an unending source of photographic opportunities. I prefer to photograph them either very early in the morning or during the sunset to early dusk time periods, when the light goes through remarkable transitions. My favorites include the subtly colored dusk hours and the moments of first/last direct sun, when the light is warmly colored and there are transitory shadows. I usually steer clear of the most popular ares of the dunes, generally finding more interesting things out along their boundaries.

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 and Amazon.

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

Dry Panamint Flowers

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Dry Panamint Flowers
Dry flowers photographed high in the Panamint Mountains of Death Valley during winter.

Dry Panamint Flowers. © Copyright 2020 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dry flowers photographed high in the Panamint Mountains of Death Valley during winter.

The title “Panamint Flowers” refers not to the identification of the flowers, but to the place where I photographed them, high in the mountains of Death Valley National Park. I was there back in January for a four-day visit. The photography was challenging — conditions were less than ideal — so on several occasions I simply went off exploring. On this day I was way out along a lonely gravel road in the Panamint Range when I spotted an old mining site off to one side. I stopped to take a look, and soon my attention shifted from the historical site to the thousands of dry flowers on the surrounding vegetation.

In retrospect, it was very fortunate that I made this trip in the January. Every year I head to Death Valley around the end of March and beginning of April for that brief interval between winter and the arrival of extremely hot and dry weather. That visit isn’t going to happen this year as national parks are shutting down and we are all sheltering in place to slow the spread of corona virus.

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 and Amazon.

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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, Photographs: Southern California

Panamint Lake

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Panamint Lake
Panamint Lake spreads across Panamint Valley following heavy winter rains

Panamint Lake. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Panamint Lake spreads across Panamint Valley following heavy winter rains.

Death Valley National Park visitors who arrive from the west or southwest almost certainly drive through Panamint Valley — whether traversing a good part of its length when driving north from Ridgecrest and Trona arriving after driving across from Owens Valley and US 395. The area was not originally part of the park but was added more recently. Despite being framed by big, rugged mountain ranges on either side, it is more typically a place people drive “through” rather than “to.”

It is also generally a very dry place. But near its upper end there is a typical desert playa… which necessarily implies that the area is periodically flooded during wet periods. This spring I passed through twice on visits that were about a month apart. The first time followed a very wet period and the usually dry playa was covered by a very large, shallow lake… of which there were virtually no traces one month later.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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

Dunes, Mountains, Sand Storm

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Dunes, Mountains, Sand Storm
A sand storm blows a cloud of dust into desert mountains at sunset

Dunes, Mountains, Sand Storm. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A sand storm blows a cloud of dust into desert mountains at sunset.

This early-April afternoon and evening produced remarkable conditions in Death Valley. I had seen the advance warnings of high winds and sand storms so I was already thinking of the potential conditions beforehand, but late in the day I noted that dust clouds were already visible far to the north. But the wind-driven sand and dust wasn’t the only interesting element — a weather front was also moving through, stacking up spectacular clouds, some of which were managing to drop some rain.

We did a big loop northward along the eastern slopes of the valley, climbing a ways into the Amargosa Range before coming back down to the valley, where the winds continued and dust and sand were blowing everywhere. We stopped in the thick of it, and I thought about a technique I often use in these conditions: photographing with a long lens from inside the vehicle. But that presented two problems: opening a window even a crack quickly let in piles of sand, and the subjects I was interested were in all directions. So I got out, cowering in the leeward side of the vehicle, and photographed as the sand blew, clouds to the west began to thin, and sunset light struck the mountains to my east.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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