Tag Archives: light

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Dry Mud Formations, Death Valley Dunes, Mount Tucki

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Dry Mud Formations, Death Valley Dunes, Mount Tucki

Dry Mud Formations, Death Valley Dunes, Mount Tucki. Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dry mud formations at Death Valley Dunes near Stovepipe Wells, with Mount Tucki in the distance.

I came across this scene after I had pretty much finished my morning shoot of the dunes and was starting to head back to my car. These formations are found in the lower areas around the dunes – suggesting to me that they may underly a good portion of the dune area. Mount Tucki, in the distance, it a high point that dominates the landscape behind Stovepipe Wells.

keywords: mount, tucki, dry mud, formations, outcropping, desert, death valley, dunes, national park, plants, mountains, sand, sky, clouds, stovepipe, wells, spring, morning, light, stock, landscape, scenic, travel, california, usa

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Death Valley Dunes, Morning

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Death Valley Dunes, Morning

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

Morning light at Death Valley Dunes near Stovepipe Wells with the lower slopes of Tucki Mountain in the distance.

This is a different version – a landscape orientation, in this case – of a scene that produced one of my favorite photographs from this trip, a black and white portrait orientation photograph of these dunes with Tucki Mountain in the background and clouds above. This color version focuses more on the texture and warm tones of the sunlit sand itself.

keywords: death valley, dunes, national park, tucki, mountain, folds, valleys, waves, ripples, light, shadow, curves, stovepipe wills, sand, desert, light, scenic, travel, landscape, stock, california, usa

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert

Flowers at Dawn, Death Valley Dunes

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Flowers at Dawn, Death Valley Dunes

Flowers at Dawn, Death Valley Dunes. Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Wildflowers in dawn light at the Death Valley Dunes with the Funeral Mountains in the distance. Photographed more or less behind the main dunes near Stovepipe Wells.

I had hiked out “behind” the dunes before sunrise, starting a bit closer to Stovepipe Wells than many may. This affords an easier route the the part of the higher part of the dunes, crossing a more level route rather than slogging across the waves of sand. The sun rose just as I came around behind the dunes.

keywords: flowers, wildflowers, yellow, blossoms, sand, dunes, death valley, national park, california, usa, nature, landscape, travel, scenic, morning, dawn, light, plants, funeral, mountains, stock

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Urban/Street

Building 65 and Alley, Night – Mare Island Naval Shipyard

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Building 65 and Alley, Night. Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California. March 22, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Building 65 lit by garish sodium vapor lamps, with a dark alley in the background and stars above.

This photo prompts me to post something about night photography and color that I’ve been thinking about for awhile. A scene like this one is lit by a variety of light sources – some natural light from moon and sky, tungsten lights, sodium vapor lights, and a gentle wash of mixed light sources from a nearby city. A question might be: “How do you accurately render the lighting of the scene?” My answer is, “You don’t.” Even if you could achieve an “accurate” rendering it would look nothing like what your night vision affected eyes “saw” since your eyes do not see the same way the camera does.

For me, one of the fun things about night photography – especially when artificial light sources are part of the scene – is that I can render to colors in whatever way makes the most sense for me.

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