Tag Archives: grapevine

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

Mountains and Dunes, Sunset

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Mountains and Dunes, Sunset
“Mountains and Dunes, Sunset” — Evening light on desert mountains with sand dunes in shadow, Death Valley.

Until you spend time there, it is possible to imagine that the terrain of Death Valley corresponds to traditional notions of “desert” — vast open and flat areas largely filled with sand. There are sand dunes, of course, but they cover a very tiny fraction of the entire park. There are open, flat areas that are not dunes, but they also are arguably not the area’s main feature. But everywhere there are mountains, and the arid landscape lays bare their forms.

I was in what are perhaps the best-known Death Valley dunes on this evening. I arrived in the late afternoon when the light was still strong, planning to be in an interesting location when the shadows of the Cottonwood Range would sweep across the flatlands before sunset. I made this photograph just after that happened, and while the dunes are in shadow there is strong and warmly-colored side light on the more distant 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.

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

Evening Clouds, Desert Mountains

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Evening Clouds, Desert Mountains
“Evening Clouds, Desert Mountains” — Three clouds in evening light above desert mountains, Death Valley.

On most of my visits to Death Valley there are many days of perfectly clear skies. That might sound great, especially if you are in a rainy or cloudy place. But for most photographers it is far preferable to have something interesting going on in the sky. Give me some thin overcast, cloud streaks before a storm , a snow squall among mountain peaks, or a dramatic thunderhead any time. On this trip I was lucky, getting most of the things in that list, including this sunset cloud formation.

When photographing in Death Valley I often make location decision as much by looking at the weather conditions as by considering subjects. If I have a choice between two subjects and one will likely be in good light, the decision is easy. And sometimes the light itself becomes the subject. That is almost the case here, as the end-of-day light is very muted on the desert mountains, yet just bright and colorful enough to enhance the clouds.

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

Evening Dunes, Desert Mountains

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Evening Dunes, Desert Mountains
“Evening Dunes, Desert Mountains” — The day’s last light on sand dunes backed by the Kit Fox hills and base of the Grapevine Mountains.

What trip to Death Valley would be complete without at least one morning or evening wandering sand dunes and photographing them? Although this visit was focused on the ephemeral appearance of Lake Manly, I still found some time for more familiar subjects. On my final evening in the park I went to these well-known dunes just before sunset, planning to photograph the dunes, the lengthening shadows, the warm light, and distant desert mountains.

There are a lot of little bits of knowledge about these dunes that are useful if you are going to photograph them. Here the sunset light disappears a bit earlier than you might expect since long shadows move across the valley as the sun drops behind mountains in the west. There’s only a brief interval between very bright direct sun and the arrival of the shadows — so it is important to arrive earlier than you might think and to then be ready to act quickly.

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.

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

Desert Sand Storm, Mountains

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Desert Sand Storm, Mountains
A sand storm builds above Death Valley and the Amargosa Mountains

Desert Sand Storm, Mountains. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A sand storm builds above Death Valley and the Amargosa Mountains.

Remarkable weather conditions frequently arise in the desert landscape, including those unfamiliar with these places might not expect, along with others that are perfectly obvious. In the “obvious” category are things like intense heat and strong winds that can produce dust and sand storms. The nearly opaque lower atmosphere in this photograph is due to precisely that — extreme winds were lifting sand and dust from the playa and dunes and sending them northeastward over the Amargosa Mountains. However, above the blowing sand are rain clouds that were dropping light showers around the area late in the day.

These are not easy conditions in which to make photographs, but the visual rewards often make it worth the attempt. I made this photograph from the just outside the limits of the blowing dust and sand clouds, though even here there was dust in the air and the wind was so strong that it was virtually impossible to complete stabilize my camera. After photographing here we continued on into the dust and wind, first going up into those distant mountains and finally heading down to the dunes that were the source of the cloud. There the conditions were both impressive and miserable as the day ended.

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 and Amazon.

Blog | About | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.