Tag Archives: mesquite

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

Morning Haze, Dunes and Mountains

Image Leave a comment
Morning Haze, Dunes and Mountains
A long desert vista, from creoste growing in the dunes to distant mountains shrouded byh morning haze.

Morning Haze, Dunes and Mountains. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A long desert vista, from creoste growing in the dunes to distant mountains shrouded byh morning haze.

There are still a few more photographs in the series from this year’s foray to Death Valley National Park, though I suspect that they will wind down soon as I move to other subjects. It is hard to believe that I was there only a bit more than a month ago — it seems like much longer. When I was there around the beginning of April it was still only moderately (by DEVA standards!) warm, with temperatures only touching the low nineties. I’m sure it is hotter now, and it will remain so until late in the year. That’s my way of saying that I won’t be headed back there until many months from now!

This photograph comes from my one morning foray into the well-known dunes not far from Stovepipe Wells. As I have previously mentioned, I often head to somewhat less “busy” areas of these dunes — partly to avoid running into other visitors, but also to find views that are not the familiar, iconic ones. This view looks across a long view from the close creosote to the distant haze-obscured desert mountains that rim the 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 | 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.

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

Creosote and Dunes

Image 2 Comments
Creosote and Dunes
A clump of creosote among the sand dunes in morning light, Death Valley National Park.

Creosote and Dunes. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A clump of creosote among the sand dunes in morning light, Death Valley National Park.

Perhaps surprisingly, that bit of dry surface in the foreground is what initially attracted me to this intimate landscape scene among the sand dunes. These surfaces are found in many places around and between the dunes, and at first their relationship to water is surprising in such a place. Some of the forms look much like what we find on desert playas, but in other places they are quite fragile and appear to have been smoothed and sculpted by wind-borne sand. (I try to avoid walking on them unless they are the more durable playa-type of formations.)

I had just photographed a closer subject, some dead creosote bushes, when I saw this larger and thriving specimen positioned among some beautifully curving dunes and casting a shadow onto them. It was a tricky exposure — the backlit “sky” (which is actually glowing haze in front of distant mountains) was extremely bright, while the shadows were quite dark. This was definitely a case of exposing to capture image data with the intention of using the post-processing stage to bring things back to something closer to what I saw.

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 | 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.

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

Morning Light on Creosote, Dunes, and Alluvial Fan

Image Leave a comment
Morning Light on Creosote, Dunes, and Alluvial Fan
Low-angle early morning light on a clump of blooming creosote, sand dunes, and a huge alluvial fan, Death Valley National Park.

Morning Light on Creosote, Dunes, and Alluvial Fan. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Low-angle early morning light on a clump of blooming creosote, sand dunes, and a huge alluvial fan, Death Valley National Park.

This is the second of two photographs made close together on this morning in the dunes. I made it just moments after the first direct sunlight had arrived here, illuminating the distant fan, the creosote plant, and the curving shapes of the dunes. This light lasts only a moment, and when I saw it coming I stopped here, found this composition, and waited for the show. I like the way that the foreground light aligns with the softly-lit alluvial fan in the distance, and how the implied line of the incoming light likely traces the angle of the bits of dune at the left edge.

It is still amazing to me that such well-developed plants can find a foothold in this terrain — and beyond that manage to thrive on a high point along the dunes. This is not a friendly environment for most plants — it can be tremendously hot, it is quite dry, and when the winds get going these plants are blasted by flying sand. (I’m a bit too familiar with that last issue!)

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 | 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.

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

Sea of Dunes

Image Leave a comment
Sea of Dunes
Sand dune forms extend into teh distance, Death Valley National Park.

Sea of Dunes. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sand dune forms extend into the distance, Death Valley National Park.

From just the right vantage points, the terrain of sand dunes can appear to be entirely devoid of living things. (In truth, no landscape is, but the evidence is hard to see here.) And when looking in the ideal directions, the succession of curving shapes can suggest a sort of frozen seascape full of immense waves.

I made this photograph on a spring morning while exploring a favorite area of these dunes, one that isn’t quite as busy with people trying to get to the highest point. This area is mostly a landscape of parallel ridges and valleys that run toward the center of the dunes, so I tend to approach from the edge and work my way toward the center. The main dune in this scene is a remarkable one — it is long and has a face that is marked by an unusual rippled pattern.

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 | 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.

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