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

Dune Shadow

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Dune Shadow
“Dune Shadow” — A plant stretches out from the shadow of late-day light on sand dunes, Death Valley.

On some of my Death Valley visits I photograph dunes many times — at dawn and at sunset, and especially if there is a dust storm or interesting clouds. But on this trip I really only made one serious foray into the dunes, since other rarer features distracted me — most notably the reemergence of a remnant of prehistoric Lake Manly. But it wouldn’t have seemed like a real Death Valley visit without at least one dune adventure.

I made this photograph late in the day, just before the shadows of the Cottonwood Mountains angled across the valley and” dimmed the lights.” (No matter how many times I photograph there, I am still always surprised by how quickly this happens.) Despite first appearances, things do live in the sand, and here an old plant (barely) grows in the shelter of a small dune. Beyond, more dunes stretch across the valley floor, then a gravel fan rises toward desert 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

Dunes Detail, Sunset

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Dunes Detail, Sunset
“Dunes Detail, Sunset” — Sunset light on sand dunes, Death Valley.

Sand dunes are a source of endless fascination to photographers. They provide a sort of workshop in light, texture, composition, and associations. They can be purely abstract, but their forms can also suggest many other things — human figures, water, mountains, and so much more. When photographing dunes you can play with the relationship between the abstractions and the real, perhaps choosing to incorporate bits of elements — plants, tracks, etc. — blur the line between the abstractions and the real.

Dunes change appearance greatly depending on the time of day and the atmospheric conditions. In some sense, they are a sort of canvas on which light paints. At times the shadows can be deep and even stark, but in soft light they can be almost as light as the highlights. It is hard to say with certainty what color dunes are. In the middle of the day they may seem almost colorless, but when they pick up the colors of sky and golden hour light they may become subtly colorful.

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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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.

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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

Shadows on Dunes

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Shadows on Dunes
Morning shadows lie across Death Valley sand dunes.

Shadows on Dunes. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning shadows lie across Death Valley sand dunes.

Yes, I know. More dunes. As I wrote earlier, it is almost impossible to visit Death Valley National Park and not photograph sand dunes at least a little bit. To be sure, they comprise only a small portion of the park, and there is much more to see there. But they are a compelling subject, with infinite variations of light, texture, form, and color. I photographed these in the early morning just after sunrise when the shadows were still long.

While photographs often show the actual features and forms of the dunes, photographers “interpret” the subject, too. We seek out the most fascinating bits and pieces, the best light, and then we go to work to present them in the most interesting and appealing way. Here I wanted to show the directionality of the early light, but also maintain at least some details in the deep shadow areas.

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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