Tag Archives: desert

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

Blue Mountains

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Blue Mountains

“Blue Mountains” — Desert mountain ridges, obscured by morning haze, extend into the distance.

If you have been following my 2023 photographs from Death Valley — I visited in March — you may recognize the contours of these distant mountains from a couple of monochrome images I shared earlier. I was at a high elevation location along the east side of the valley to photograph the playa at sunrise, but from time to time I turned my attention the other direction to look at these ridges extended into the distant haze.

One pleasure of viewing the world from such a location, high above the surrounding landscape, is that we sometimes see so far that eventually the features simply disappear into the distant haze. Here the haze was so thick — and back lit — that details were lost, leaving only the counters of the main features of the landscape.

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, Photographs: Southern California

Dune Shadow

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Dune Shadow
“Dune Shadow” — A plant stretches out from the shadow of late-day light on sand dunes, Death Valley.

On some of my Death Valley visits I photograph dunes many times — at dawn and at sunset, and especially if there is a dust storm or interesting clouds. But on this trip I really only made one serious foray into the dunes, since other rarer features distracted me — most notably the reemergence of a remnant of prehistoric Lake Manly. But it wouldn’t have seemed like a real Death Valley visit without at least one dune adventure.

I made this photograph late in the day, just before the shadows of the Cottonwood Mountains angled across the valley and” dimmed the lights.” (No matter how many times I photograph there, I am still always surprised by how quickly this happens.) Despite first appearances, things do live in the sand, and here an old plant (barely) grows in the shelter of a small dune. Beyond, more dunes stretch across the valley floor, then a gravel fan rises toward desert 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” 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.

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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

Desert Mountains and Lake Manly

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Desert Mountains and Lake Manly
“Desert Mountains and Lake Manly — Morning light on desert mountains with flow patterns in the distance.

This photograph might be a bit disorienting. I wonder what you see at first? Some desert mountains with an unusual sky in the background? But what to make of that white area at the far right? And then, what kind of “sky” are we looking at? If I’m right, at some point you might have a bit of difficulty putting all of these elements together into a whole that makes sense. There is an explanation…

I photographed from a ridge-top location in the mountains east of Death Valley. Although my initial goal was to photograph some other distant mountains at sunrise, I stuck around as the sun climbed higher. Eventually it was high enough that it began to illuminate the outcroppings on the slopes below me. Their contours lead down to the eastern edge of Death Valley and, this year, the shoreline of Lake Manly. That “sky” in the photograph is a shallow section of the lake, and the streams are submerged channels.

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.

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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

Meandering Channels

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Meandering Channels
“Meandering Channels” — Water flows across the salt playa through meandering channels in Death Valley.

Viewed up close from the valley floor, Death Valley is a mostly flat place blanked by tall mountains. But the details of its huge playa are largely invisible unless you travel off the paved roads and out into it. But even there, the flat terrain makes it difficult to fully understand the landforms. To do that you are better off heading to some place high above the valley and looking down into it from above.

I went one such place very early in the morning, and from there I watched the first rays of sunrise light strike the peaks of mountains across the valley, then work their way down to the valley itself. Eventually the shadows contracted and the full valley was in sun, revealing remarkable patterns of land, salt deposits, and meandering seasonal streams.

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.