Tag Archives: desert

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

First Light, Desert Mountains

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First Light, Desert Mountains
The first morning light on a ridge in desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

First Light, Desert Mountains. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The first morning light on a ridge in desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

One important factor to keep in mind when photographing in Death Valley National Park is the roughly north-south orientation of most of the valleys and mountain ranges. In a broad sense, this tends to give us two ways to photograph these subjects in the morning or evening — one in direct sun and the other in shadow and backlight. This is such a basic aspect of the park’s geography, that I often organize my daily photography around it. (There are some variations on this theme, for example in locations where some features face more towards the north or south, and interesting light often slants across them.)

This photograph takes in a small segment of the east face of the Panamint Mountains, the gigantic range separating Death Valley from the Panamint Valley to the west. This east-facing aspect of the range rises over 11,000′ from Badwater to the summit of Telescope Peak, and most of it has a remarkably rugged and barren appearance. Because it is so tall, the “sunrise” takes place over a longer time as the light works its way down from the highest peaks and ridges to the alluvial fans at their base and eventually to Death Valley itself.

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

Desert Mountains and Dunes, Morning

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Desert Mountains and Dunes, Morning
Desert mountains in shadow and early morning sun on dunes, Death Valley National Park.

Desert Mountains and Dunes, Morning. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Desert mountains in shadow and early morning sun on dunes, Death Valley National Park.

If you have been following along recently, you may recall me writing that this rocky ridge would show up a few more times in the photographs from my recent Death Valley visit. Although I never actually went to that ridge, it was off to the side as I walked to and from another subject on one evening and the following morning. The ridge runs a bit further to the right before ending with a spur that extends slightly into the broad, flat desert valley beyond.

Late in the day the surface of this ridge takes on the warm tones of sunset light, and the color of the ridge is quite different. Some red tones in the rock combine with the reddish light to produce a very colorful appearance. But this photograph was made the next morning, when the light comes from the other direction, leaving that same face in the cool-toned shadows. I made the photograph as the sun was gaining enough elevation to shine over the top of the ridge, striking the sand dunes that are near its base.

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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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

Desert Ridges, Morning Haze

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Desert Ridges, Morning Haze
Desert ridges disappear into distant morning haze.

Desert Ridges, Morning Haze. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Desert ridges disappear into distant morning haze.

There is a series of lessons I have learned about photography in Death Valley National Park. They including things like seasonal timing, observations about the light at various times of day, the number of locations and subjects that are a bit off the beaten track, and the importance of spending time “poking around” looking for them. One important element sits at the nexus between the immense scale of the place and the qualities of its atmosphere and light: learning to love blue haze in the atmosphere.

As a photographer who has done a lot of work in places where clear air is common — for example, among high peaks of the Sierra Nevada — the bluish haze that is often visible across the immense distances of Death Valley was initially a challenge. (It still can be at times.) Dealing with this required me to learn some lessons about timing… and that I learn to see the haze as a potential asset rather than just a problem. On this morning I had finished photographing a location in the clear sunrise light. I headed to a elevated location with broader views… and lots of the blue haze obscuring distant features. The intent of this photograph was to work with rather than against that condition, and let it help reveal the scale 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.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

Creosote and Dunes, Evening Light

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Creosote and Dunes, Evening Light
Creosote plant in eveing light as wind-blown sand softens the contours of receding dunes.

Creosote and Dunes, Evening Light. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Creosote plant in eveing light as wind-blown sand softens the contours of receding dunes.

This is (yet another!) photograph that demonstrates the conjunction of a range of things: planning, good luck, responding quickly to conditions, and more. Regarding the planning, I had made a long drive to a place a mile or so from this spot, where I set up a primitive camp and waited for the late-day light. A lot of good luck was involved — this was my first time at this location, so I had to make some guesses about where to be when the evening light arrived… and the guesses turned out pretty well.

As to conditions, several things were happening here. First, it was extremely windy, so I made some decisions about camera setup to deal with that. I made the exposure during a short interval of less wind. Second, there was only a brief interval when the light acquired the warm, evening color, and then the shadows from a low mountain range to the west “turned out the lights.” If you look closely you can already see some shadows starting to creep into the edges of the frame.

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 | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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.