Tag Archives: desert

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

Gullies in Soft Light

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Gullies in Soft Light, Death Valley
“Gullies in Soft Light” — Eroded gullies and ridges in soft light, Zabriskie Point.

These badlands formations, where soft layers have been eroded by water, can be difficult to photograph. Those difficulties can lead to ethical questions for photographers. The issue is that the range of colors and luminosity in these formations is very limited — the color is basically a light tan and the difference between the light and dark areas is small, at least in soft light. One choice is to enhance that contrast and coloration during the post-processing phase, and that can create some impressive images… though this can depart radically from the actual appearance of the landscape. Here I decided to go with the low contrast and soft colors instead.

To repeat a story I’ve previously related, almost by accident I ended up here to photograph a subject that ultimately did not develop as I had hoped. So I turned my attention to other things nearby, including these formations. I photographed them rather early, before the direct sunlight arrived. This meant that the contrast was even more subdued, as the soft light was from the early morning open sky — directional, but only subtly so.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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

Edge of the Salt Flats

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Edge of the Salt Flats, Death Valley
“Edge of the Salt Flats” — Saltgrass grows around a winding, salt-encrusted desert gully at the edge of Death Valley salt flats.

This was almost the last photograph I made on this early morning shoot at the Death Valley salt flats. I had gone to a spot I had picked earlier, arriving in the pre-dawn darkness and hiking out across a shallow alluvial fan to reach the salt flats before sunrise. I had a couple of compositions in mind, and I wanted to start working with them as the very first light touched the peaks across the valley.

I began that work and continued as the light worked its way down the face of the desert mountains and finally arrived on the flats. Suddenly the sun topped a ridge to my east and the light became harsher and brighter… and I was done with my subject. I started back to my vehicle, and as I followed a shallow wash through the salty terrain next to the flats, I looked back and saw this little salt-lined waterway at the end of the playa in the morning light

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

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

Corkscrew Peak, Evening

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Corkscrew Peak, Evening, Death Valley
“Corkscrew Peak, Evening” — Evening light on the giant alluvial plain leading up towards Corkscrew Peak.

This peak has long intrigued me — along with the entire ridge that it lies on. Perhaps the name first caught my attention when I was trying to identify landmarks in photographs I took from out in the Valley. Hint: it does not really look much like a corkscrew, though I can see how the tilted rock layers that seem to run around it inspired the name.

I photographed this on my first evening in Death Valley back in February. After a very long drive from the Bay Area I set up camp, rested a bit, and then it was time to go find something to photograph. Since it was late in the day I wanted to keep it somewhat simple, so I headed to this spot along a road leading out of the Valley, arriving just in time to photograph the day’s last light.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)

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

Reflected First Light, Panamint Mountains

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Reflected First Light, Panamint Mountains
“Reflected First Light, Panamint Mountains” — Shallow salt flat water reflects the first light on the Panamint Mountains.

During my late-February visit to Death Valley National Park, I spent two early mornings photographing the Panamint Mountains in the first light, with the salt flats and shallow water in the foreground. The water is not the ephemeral “Lake Manly” phenomenon that we saw in 2024. This is a slow, shallow flow of water that seems to continue all year, regardless of conditions. It is just enough water to produce these reflections.

These days I photograph almost exclusively with a full frame digital system. (Sometimes I use a smaller APS-C system, often for my street and travel photography.) I usually use a pretty straightforward set of lenses that work well for my landscape photography, but occasionally I bring out an adapted medium format zoom lens and mount it using the Mirex tilt/shift adapter — yes, movements with a zoom lens! That was pretty useful for this photograph given the low light and the extreme distance between the foreground and the distant mountains.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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(All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.)