Tag Archives: hills

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Salt Flats Near Badwater

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Salt Flats Near Badwater

Salt Flats Near Badwater. Death Valley National Park, California. April 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Evening on the salt flats near Badwater – Death Valley National Park.

I have to admit that this is a bit of a cliche photography location. I’ve been both lucky and unlucky when shooting here. In terms of photographs of the Panamint Range – which towers above the west side of Death Valley and is not really visible in this photo – I’ve been lucky: on several occasions I’ve had wonderful late afternoon clouds with light columns shining through as the sun dropped behind the mountains. On the other hand, I’ve found it difficult to shoot these formations on the salt flats. Earlier this year, I shot there with my my brother, who pointed me to a spot a bit south of where I had attempted to photograph these features in the past, and it turned to be a better location.

In my experience, photographing these “ridges on the salt flat” is a bit tricky. Continue reading Salt Flats Near Badwater →

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Morning, Death Valley Dunes and Funeral Mountains

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Morning, Death Valley Dunes and Funeral Mountains

Morning, Death Valley Dunes and Funeral Mountains. Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Photograph of curving Death Valley Dunes in morning light with the Funeral Mountains in the background.

Perhaps closer to the classic “dune photographs” from this area, shot along the top of one of the highest dunes with the line of the dune summit leading toward the Funeral Mountains along the east side of Death Valley. I hadn’t actually intended to shoot a scene like this one, but I ended up on top of a rise in the dunes after shooting the area behind them… and one feels almost obligated to photograph a scene like this one when visiting Death Valley. :-)

keywords: death valley, national park, sand, dunes, ripples, waves, curves, desert, funeral, mountains, sky, clouds, hills, stovepipe wells, california, usa, peak, footprints, steps, morning, light, stock, scenic, travel, landscape

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

Three Purple Wildflowers

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Three Purple Wildflowers

Three Purple Wildflowers. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. April 12, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The wildflower season in the central California coastal hills peaks in early April, so I make an effort to get out to some of the nearby wildflower areas every spring.

(Notes: I’m taking a short break from the Death Valley photos to add a bit of contrast and show a few spring 2008 wildflower photos. I have actually have over a month of upcoming photographs in the queue right now – more Death Valley photos, some Yosemite photos, and much more. Also, as you may have figured out from my generic flower photo titles – “purple wildflowers” – I’m not great and naming plants and flowers. Fortunately an acquaintance recently sent me a list of the names of all of the flowers I’ve recently photographed. When I update the titles I’ll credit this helpful person!)

keywords: purple, flowers, three, wildflowers, wild, nature, stems, green, leaves, california, usa, san jose, santa clara, county, san francisco, bay area, hills, trail, hike, hiking, almaden, quicksilver, park, stock

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Rhyolite Ghost Town Ruins, Dawn

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Rhyolite Ghost Town Ruins, Dawn

Rhyolite Ghost Town Ruins, Dawn. Rhyolite, Nevada. April 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dawn at the ruins of the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada. The remnants of one of the town banks is in the foreground, and the school building is seen in the distance. Beyond is the Amargosa Valley and the Amargosa Range in Death Valley National Park.

This photograph was made during a brief interval when the light went from rather flat and dull to lighter and warm as the sun briefly shone through the high overcast.

keywords: dawn, sunrise, ghost, town, rhyolite, nevada, usa, mine, mining, ruins, abandoned, bank, school, sky, clouds, vault, door, columns, desert, mountains, sky, clouds, historic, travel, scenic, landscape, stock, walls, ridge, hills