Toward the Playa. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A dry wash heading toward the playa in late afternoon light, Death Valley National Park.

This is one small desert wash, one occasional watercourse among uncounted numbers of them in this landscape. At the risk of repeating myself, this is yet another illustration of the ubiquitous presence of water in this desert. In prehistoric times, this was a very large lake, believe it or not, and the distant playa is essentially the lake’s remnant, a place were water still collects in wet years. When storms pass through and drop sometimes-torrential rain, these washes carry more water out to the low places.

On one hand this photograph could be seen as evidence of the role of water here. But when I look at it I think about the experience of walking across such terrain. (And because I do walk there sometimes, I go during the cooler times of the year!) When you start out, your goal seems not so far away. But distances are deceiving here, and your objective often ends up being much farther away. As I walk, there is a fascinating combination of senses — one is the feeling of being very tiny in an immense landscape, but another is an intense focus on immediate surroundings: the sound of wind, the clatter of stones, the footing changing as I move from rocks to sand, perhaps a breeze, the intensity of the 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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Dormant Desert Holly. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A dormant desert holly plant against rocky backdrop in evening light.

Photographing this dormant desert holly bush was very much a last minute opportunity. Late in the afternoon we headed toward a prospective early evening subject, stopping along the way to photograph various other things as the light cooperated. Ironically, when we arrived at that intended subject several factors made it less appealing than expected, and I barely photographed it at all! We spent a few minutes there, and as the light began to decrease we moved on.

We were along the east side of Death Valley at the time. A big part of photographing in this landscape is learning the daily patterns of the light. Because of the very large mountain range on the west side, the direct light where we were ends well before sunset. This also produces an extended period of soft light in the shadow of that western range, when the landscape is still illuminated by the blue sky and sometimes by colorful clouds. I photographed this plant, set against a nearly barren and rocky hillside, as that soft evening light began to fade.

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.

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.