Tag Archives: north

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

Desert Mountains, Morning Clouds

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Desert Mountains, Morning Clouds
Haze mutes the details of desert mountains topped by morning clouds, Death Valley National Park.

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

Haze mutes the details of desert mountains topped by morning clouds, Death Valley National Park.

This photograph is the result of one of those “look what’s behind you!” moments. I was at a location where I had previously scouted sunrise subject. I arrived early, set up, and photographed that subject in the light that I had hoped for. Once finished, I paused to look around. In the opposite direction I saw this series of back-lit formations leading away toward the cloud-crested peak. It was time to rotate the camera on the tripod and work this subject, too!

Haze can be the photographers’ friend or foe in Death Valley. It often cannot be avoided photographs made across any sort of distance — and sometimes the distances in this park are huge. The haze may be an impediment a clear view of a distant mountain range. But it also can produce a lovely atmosphere if the conditions and light are just right.

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

Red Cliffs, Sunrise

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Red Cliffs, Sunrise
Sunrise light on Red Cliffs and badlands, Death Valley National Park.

Red Cliffs, Sunrise. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Sunrise light on Red Cliffs and badlands, Death Valley National Park.

There is a little story behind this photograph of the Red Cliffs, an almost-icon in Death Valley. The feature is a striking, eroded formation close to a famous park location. I decided to photograph here on the final morning of my recent visit to the park since I was looking for something that I could visit early and still have time to pack up my nearby camp and begin the long drive home. Of course, timing wasn’t the only issue — I had explored the location earlier and found it to be pretty interesting!

The window for the best sunrise light here is brief, since the light doesn’t get here right away. It arrives soon enough that it still has the golden hour character, but that starts to fade quickly. One thing I like about this perspective is that it places the distant, haze-shrouded peaks right behind Red Cliffs. (What I like less is that a very close inspection may reveal a place in the scene where a lot of sunrise spectators are standing!)

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.

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

Evening Clouds Above the Panamint Range

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Evening Clouds Above the Panamint Range
Colorful evening clouds above the Panamint Range and Death Valley.

Evening Clouds Above the Panamint Range. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Colorful evening clouds above the Panamint Range and Death Valley.

In previous posts about this Death Valley trip I mentioned that storm-related closures forced me to modify my plans when I arrived in the park. I ended up visiting a few out-of-the way locations on foot, areas not far from central attractions of the park, but perhaps less visited. (In one case, barely visited at all from what I could tell.) But I also made a last-minute decision to drive up to Dantes View one evening, and the sky cooperated.

Quite often the Death Valley sky is… just plain blue. So I was surprised and pleased to spot this interesting cloud formation building over the Panamint Range. Since this is more traditionally a morning photography location, I was pretty happy to see the clouds, since otherwise much of the landscape is in rather deep shadows in the evening. The view is familiar, but remains astonishing — from this location we look down more than 5000′ to the otherworldly features of Death Valley, up to the 11,000’+ Telescope Peak topping the Panamints, and in the far distance a few snow-covered Sierra peaks are sometimes visible.

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

Light in the Canyon

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Light in the Canyon
“Light in the Canyon” — Afternoon light strikes a hill in the lower reaches of a Death Valley canyon.

As I mentioned I recent posts, my plans for Death Valley were somewhat thwarted when I arrived there to find that large areas of the park were not accessible due to flood damage. I had to strike some remote areas from my agenda, recalibrate, and visit more accessible locations. As a result I ended up visiting more accessible areas that I had avoided in the past, including several fascinating washes that I really should have visited before. Since I had a free afternoon before evening photography I decided to take a long hike up this wash and back, and I’m glad I did.

The deeper and narrower Death Valley canyons are great places to visit during the daytime hours — in fact, a typical shooting plan for me includes a sunrise and sunset locations with one or more canyons partially filling the time between the morning and evening shoots. The timing of this canyon walk was such that the bottom of the canyon was almost fully shaded at times. I made this photograph near a bend where a bit of light reached the bottom of the canyon and illuminated this lighter colored formation.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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