Tag Archives: hills

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Desert Wash, Before Sunrise

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Desert Wash, Before Sunrise
Pre-sunrise light gently illuminates badlands and desert sky, Death Valley.

Desert Wash, Before Sunrise. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Pre-sunrise light gently illuminates badlands and desert sky, Death Valley.

This is perhaps not the most common light that I photograph, although I experience it frequently. The time is just before sunrise, when the growing light turns the sky pink but the shadows remain blue, as do the lower reaches of the sky which are still in the “earth shadow.” The light is soft and, as is often true in such places, it was completely silent. (Some may recognize this scene from another photograph I shared recently.)

The light at this moment is not as spectacular, at least not in the familiar way, as that what is destined to arrive when the first direct sunlight strikes the landscape. I suppose that the anticipation is part of what makes it special. Making it even better, I was here alone, in complete solitude. (Some may recognize this scene from another photograph I shared recently.)

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

Desert Holly, Badlands Wash

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Desert Holly, Badlands Wash
A desert holly plant grows in a wash in Death Valley badlands.

Desert Holly, Badlands Wash. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A desert holly plant grows in a wash in Death Valley badlands.

I went to this general location to photograph something else — there’s a nearby vista that I had photographed during mid-morning light, and I wanted to try it a bit earlier in the day. As I slowly headed that way I was distracted by many other possibilities. One was this little wash, emerging from low, eroded badlands hills and quickly emptying into a much larger main stem wash. The wash was almost barren, with only a few desert holly plants here and there.

This desert plant is among my favorites. That may seem a bit odd, as it doesn’t display spectacular flowers, its color is a subtle gray-green, and often whole sections of the plant seem dormant or dead. But it is a survivor, growing in remarkably dry and inhospitable places — like this gravel-filled wash, a very hot and exposed place that rarely receives significant rain.

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.death valley, dvnp, deva, national, park, desert, arid, wash, desert, holly, plant, 20 mule team, badlands, erosion, hills, morning, rugged, landscape, nature, travel, california, usa, north, america

California Fall Color, Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature

Desert Hills, Morning Haze

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Desert Hills, Morning Haze
Morning haze obscures distant hills above badlands formations, Death Valley Naitonal Park.

Desert Hills, Morning Haze. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning haze obscures distant hills above badlands formations, Death Valley Naitonal Park.

This scene came as a complete surprise. I arrived at this location on a low ridge before dawn and photographed some striking geological formations to my north as the sun came up, gradually filling the landscape with light. Finishing with that subject, I turned around and looked in the opposite direction. Backlit haze had descended on the barren landscape and was glowing in the morning light.

In clear weather, this view reveals badlands in the foreground and dark and tall mountains beyond. But the light made the haze luminous and muted the details of the terrain. I’ve seen such atmosphere in this landscape before, but more often it has come as the result of dust storms. But this was a quiet and nearly still morning.

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 | Twitter | 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

Desert Mountains, Morning Haze

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Desert Mountains, Morning Haze
Morning haze obscures the details on a series of desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

Desert Mountains, Morning Haze. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning haze obscures the details on a series of desert mountains, Death Valley National Park.

This is another serendipitous photograph, and if you compared it to many of the other photographs I made at this location you would never guess that they came from the same place, same time, and same conditions. I was there to photograph dawn light on some nearby geological features. Dawn arrived with beautiful saturated light and clear air. When I finished with that I turned around to face the rising sun… and found the landscape’s details almost obliterated by the glowing, back-lit haze.

I’m not sure what, exactly, typifies a “typical” Death Valley photograph — but I know that these conditions were somewhat unusual. The haze made the successive hills fade into the distance, and the foreground area with the clearest details was in shadows. In the end, I think it has a mood that is different from any of my other photographs from Death Valley.

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 | Twitter | 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.