Tag Archives: eroded

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

Edge of Gower Wash, Zabriskie Point

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Edge of Gower Wash, Zabriskie Point
Edge of Gower Wash, Zabriskie Point

Edge of Gower Wash, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 30, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The folded hill and gully patterns along the edge of Gower Wash at Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

Having shot at Zabriskie Point often enough to feel less urgency about shooting the famous and iconic views… yet again… (unless conditions are truly exceptional), I’ve been looking for other elements in the scene. Last year I became interested in using very long lenses to isolate interesting small sections of the scene. I have to say that it is a lot more challenging and satisfying for me to look at the amazing number of potential subjects here that are not the justifiably famous images of Manley Beacon, the Panamints, and the panoramic view of Gower Wash. (I don’t want to get too full of myself here and make it sound like I’m “too good” to shoot the familiar views – in fact I still do point my camera in those directions when the light and other conditions are just right.)

This small section of cracked earth, small hills, and gullies sits right on the edge of the flatter and gravel-filled bottom of Gower Wash right below Zabriskie Point. I made this photograph early in the morning when the light of the sun was partially blocked by clouds to the east and I see a very subtle glow on the sides of these features that face east.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 190mm
ISO 200, f/11, 1/40 second

keywords: death, valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, spring, nature, zabriskie, point, morning, gower, wash, earth, dirt, gravel, sand, gully, hill, eroded, crack, landscape, scenic, travel, light, geology, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Boulder and Eroded Cliff Face

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Boulder and Eroded Cliff Face
Boulder and Eroded Cliff Face

Boulder and Eroded Cliff Face. Big Sur, California. May 1, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning sun backlights receding eroded ridges and boulder in the coastal mountains of California’s Big Sur coast.

I now am not quite certain where this exact spot was… but somewhere along the Big Sur coast in the area of Garrapata State Park – there is a pretty good chance that it is just a bit north of Rocky Creek bridge and just south of the actually Rock Creek. (Where there is a restaurant which has, or so I hear, a wonderful view and very high prices.) As I probably mentioned in photos I posted earlier from this May 1 shoot, one subject that I was pursuing was the morning light from the sun as it just barely topped the high and steep mountains along the coast highway. This creates at least two interesting conditions, and both are present in this photograph: diffused and hazy light as the sun shine though very thin fog rising up the canyons from the ocean, and thin lines of light along the tops of ridges and peaks.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: big, sur, eroded, ridge, grass, light, edge, atmospheric, recession, diagonal, lines, flora, plants, foliage, rock, boulder, landscape, nature, scenic, travel, california, usa, north america, haze, fog, morning, spring, gully, mountain, hill, valley, gully, stock

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

Detail, Zabriskie Point Formations

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Detail, Zabriskie Point Formations
Detail, Zabriskie Point Formations

Detail, Zabriskie Point Formations. Death Valley National Park, California. March 29, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail photograph of patterns of barren hills and gullies at Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

From my series of detail photographs of smaller elements of the landscape at Zabriskie, and another one shot during atypical times of day – in this case in very bright afternoon sunshine. Because of these lighting conditions – color, intensity, and angle, the quality of the image is less “dreamy” than the typical early morning soft-light photographs of this area. Here you see more clearly the rough texture of the material making up the folds and gullies of these interesting hills that drop into Gower Gulch.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 330mm
ISO 100, f/16, 1/50 second

keywords: zabriskie, point, detail, hills, gullies, barren, dry, earth, dirt, afternoon, light, diagonal, forms, abstract, geology, nature, landscape, patterns, death valley, national park, scenic, travel, california, usa, north america, stock, eroded

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

Eroded Formations, Zabriskie Point

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Eroded Formations, Zabriskie Point
Eroded Formations, Zabriskie Point

Eroded Formations, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. March 29, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A small dry wash runs past folded patterns of eroded hills in morning light at Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.

This is another in my “up close and personal” sequence of photographs of details of the geology at Zabriskie Point. Zabriskie is undeniably an incredibly beautiful spot, but after photographing “the view” a number of times my attention was drawn to some of the smaller details of the surrounding terrain. While I’ll still shoot the famous view(s) from this location when conditions are special, I now spend more time using a long lens to pick out small elements of the scene – and there are a lot of them to work with!

On this morning the light was, at times, very special. When I made this photograph the typical sidelight from the early sun was diffused and filtered by some high clouds in the east, and this soft light is different than what I’ve seen here before – it seems to me to have a subtle glow.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

G Dan Mitchell Photography | Twitter | Friendfeed | Facebook | Facebook Fan Page | Email

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 150mm
ISO 200, f/14, 1/40 second

keywords: zabriskie, point, gower, gulch, wash, folds, eroded, hills, formations, crack, earth, desert, barren, morning, light, sand, gravel, tan, brown, death valley, national, park, california, usa, north america, detail, landscape, nature, stock, geology, scenic, travel, dry, hill, gully