Tag Archives: death valley

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

Evening Sky and Haze, Death Valley

Image Leave a comment
Evening Sky and Haze, Death Valley
“Evening Sky and Haze, Death Valley” — Sunset sky, distant mountains, clouds and haze — Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park is a huge place — not just as measured by its total area but also by the immense spaces we view there. In many places we look across dozens of miles toward objects so far away that they are obscured by the atmosphere even on clear days. We might look at a “nearby” destination and think, “I’ll walk there.” If we try, hours later our intended destination will still be in the distance.

This photograph, made at sunset in the central part of the great valley, is an example. If I had gotten in my car and started driving, it would have taken me an hour and a half or longer to reach the base of those mountains in the distance. In this scene the valley has already fallen into the shadows of the Panamint range and a final bit of soft side-light glances across the large wash in the foreground.

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.

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

Morning Clouds, Lake Manly

Image Leave a comment
Morning Clouds, Lake Manly
“Morning Clouds, Lake Manly” — Morning clouds drift over Lake Manly and the distant Panamint Mountains, Death Valley.

I made my annual visit to Death Valley this past week. While there I realized that it has been 25 years since my first encounter with the place, and that I have been photographing there every year for about two decades. In addition to the usual attractions, this trip focused on Lake Manly, the temporary resurrection of the prehistoric lake that once filled the valley. The lake reappeared after intense tropical storm rainfall last year and was augmented by more recent heavy rains.

Look past the obvious aridity of the place and the role water played in its creation becomes obvious. Roadways continuously rise and fall as they cross minor and major washes. The mountains are covered with the evidence of water erosion. The extensive playas and salt flats were created by pooling water. But the reappearance of Lake Manly really brings home the role of water in forming Death Valley’s geography.

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.

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

Shadows on Dunes

Image Leave a comment
Shadows on Dunes
Morning shadows lie across Death Valley sand dunes.

Shadows on Dunes. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning shadows lie across Death Valley sand dunes.

Yes, I know. More dunes. As I wrote earlier, it is almost impossible to visit Death Valley National Park and not photograph sand dunes at least a little bit. To be sure, they comprise only a small portion of the park, and there is much more to see there. But they are a compelling subject, with infinite variations of light, texture, form, and color. I photographed these in the early morning just after sunrise when the shadows were still long.

While photographs often show the actual features and forms of the dunes, photographers “interpret” the subject, too. We seek out the most fascinating bits and pieces, the best light, and then we go to work to present them in the most interesting and appealing way. Here I wanted to show the directionality of the early light, but also maintain at least some details in the deep shadow areas.

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.

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

Distant Mountains

Image Leave a comment
Distant Mountains
The view toward the distant Sierra Nevada from the crest of the Panamint Mountains on a hazy evening.

Distant Mountains. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The view toward the distant Sierra Nevada from the crest of the Panamint Mountains on a hazy evening.

Here is yet another photograph from a high place in Death Valley National Park, from which the peaks of the Southern Sierra Nevada are visible in the distance. I made the photograph late in the day, shortly before sunset. This explains the deep shadows on the foreground hills and the luminous quality of the back-lit atmosphere.

The distant peaks of the Sierra are familiar to me, and from this location and a few others in the park I looked at them through binoculars and long lenses and relived Sierra adventures from many past seasons. These include some wonderful trips around and out of the Cottonwood Basin area, various ascents of Mt. Whitney, and more.

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.