Tag Archives: funeral

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

Two Hikers at the Summit of Death Valley Dunes

6 Comments
Two Hikers at the Summit of Death Valley Dunes
Two Hikers at the Summit of Death Valley Dunes

Two Hikers at the Summit of Death Valley Dunes. Death Valley National Park, California. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two hikers take in the evening landscape of Death Valley National Park from the Summit of the dunes.

Many times I might have been disappointed to have two hikers enter “my” scene in such beautiful dusk light, but here I feel like they crystalize the scene. In a larger version of the photograph the two of them seem to stand silently facing the rugged vastness of Death Valley – and I think their presence invites us to think of ourselves in the scene and to imagine our own reaction to it.

My favorite time to photograph these iconic dunes near Stovepipe Wells is in the evening during a brief interval right around sunset and lasting a while after the sun drops behind the peaks to the west. The light softens, especially if there is a bit of haze in the sky, and the dunes that are so bright and harsh at other times of day take on a smoother and softer quality and their subtle colors become visible.

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
Flickr | Twitter | Facebook Fan Page | Facebook | Friendfeed | Email

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Mesquite Dunes, Dusk

2 Comments
Mesquite Dunes, Dusk

Mesquite Dunes, Dusk. Death Valley National Park, California. April 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Mesquite Sand Dune folds recede into the distance into the distance beyond foreground desert plants in Death Valley National Park, California.

This is a slightly different take on a scene that I have posted previously. The photograph of the Mesquite Dune complex near Stovepipe Wells was shot near twilight on the first evening of my 2008 visit to Death Valley. My brother and I had just met up at the Stovepipe Wells campground, set up camp and eaten dinner, and noticed that it was far closer to the end of the day than we had realized. We quickly hightailed it down the road a couple miles to an area close to the dunes and had just enough time to make some long lens photographs from the road side as the light faded.

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

keywords: death valley, national park, california, usa, landscape, scenic, travel, stock, mesquite, dunes, stovepipe, wells, sand, folds, pattern, light, pink, blue, green, foliage, dusk, sunset, twilight, footprints, prints, steps, waves, funeral, mountains, range, desert

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Sunset, Death Valley Dunes and Funeral Mountains

Leave a comment

Sunset, Death Valley Dunes and Funeral Mountains

Sunset, Death Valley Dunes and Funeral Mountains. Death Valley National Park, California. April 1, 2008. Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Color photograph of sunset at Death Valley Dunes with the Funeral Mountains in the distance.

Yet another photograph from this evening shoot at Death Valley Dunes near Stovepipe Wells. Here the foot of the rugged mountain range along the east side of the Valley (variously called the Amargosa Range or the Funeral Range?) can be see in the distance beyond the dunes.

keywords: death valley, national park, dunes, sand, light, shadow, plants, sand, desert, funeral, mountains, wash, sunset, california, usa, nature, scenic, travel, landscape, stock

Commentary, Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Transverse Dunes, Death Valley

1 Comment

Transverse Dunes, Death Valley

Transverse Dunes, Death Valley. Death Valley National Park, California. April 1, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Color photograph of transverse Death Valley Dunes at sunset.

This is another photo from the shoot I described in yesterday’s post – a quick shoot from a roadside pullout as the day came to an end. We just barely arrived here in time (having arrived in the park just hours earlier) and ended up shooting with long lenses from this roadside vantage point.

While many people focus on the taller section of these dunes a bit further west (I’ve shot them also) this section of smaller “transverse dunes” further into the valley provides some very interesting shapes, textures, and colors.

keywords: death valley, national park, transverse, dunes, sand, desert, funeral, mountains, plants, light, shadow, patterns, ripples, scenic, landscape, color, photo, photography, stock, california, usa, sunset, golden hour