Tag Archives: panamint

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

Manley Lake, First Light

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“Manly Lake, First Light” — Early morning light on the Panamint Range reflected in Manly Lake, Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park is so large that it is often hard to fathom the its scale. Lake Manly, the temporary body of water occupying a section of the Valley near Badwater, is small by comparison to the valley as a whole. The mountains in this photograph are many tens of miles away. (A couple of roads reach that ridge, and it would take 1 1/2 or 2 hours of driving to reach their high points from the shore of Lake Manly.)

In the daytime most of this desert landscape is not particularly colorful. In fact, in flat light and haze it can sometimes seem almost monochromatic. But early in the morning and then again in the evening, the sunrise and sunset light paint the scenes with vivid colors that contrast with the hazy blues of the shadows.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Dawn Clouds, Death Valley

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Dawn Clouds, Death Valley
“Dawn Clouds, Death Valley” — Colorful dawn clouds above Death Valley and the Panamint Mountains.

The camera position for this photograph was a high point in the Panamint Range of Death Valley National Park. We arrived before sunrise, when the sky was just beginning to take on dawn colors, and the clouds were becoming blood red. There are few colors in nature that are as intense… and as difficult to photograph, at least if you want the photograph to suggest what you saw when you were there.

To my way of thinking, after a few decades of visiting and photographing the place, the most interesting locations in this park are not the most popular ones. They are off in odd, sometimes distant corners of the region. You may have to deal with a few adversities getting to them. (One winter I was turned back from this location by snow.) But the rewards are worth it.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: People In Landscape

At the Edge of Lake Manly, Sunrise

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At the Edge of Lake Manly, Sunrise
“At the Edge of Lake Manly, Sunrise” — Solitary figure at the edge of Lake Manly and the reflection of a desert mountain sunrise.

Most of my landscape photographs include little or no evidence of human presence. But sometimes including a human figure can transform a photograph. (I suggest obscuring the figure with the tip of your finger to see how much it changes things.) The person obviously provides a focal point, but also invites viewers to imagine themselves in the scene.

I did not set out to include people in my photographs of Lake Manly. In fact, I positioned myself at the very edge to the lake so that I could include uninterrupted reflections. But this person walked out on a small peninsula that was barely above the water level. At first I was mildly irritated… but I soon realized that this simply gave me a different sort of photographic opportunity.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Ghost Towns, Photographs: People In Landscape

Mining Ruins, Death Valley National Park

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Mining Ruins, Death Valley National Park
“Mining Ruins, Death Valley National Park” — Ruins of an miner’s cabin, Death Valley National Park.

Among American national parks, Death Valley is known for extensive and diverse evidence of human presence. There are traces of ancient people from the time of European immigrants and their descendants. More recently, members of the latter group came to this landscape as prospectors and miners. Today, even in the most remote parts of the park, you can find their decaying remnants, like this old cabin.

I have visited this site for years, and each time I ponder what it must have been like to live and work in a place like this. It is high in desert mountains, without trees or water, and most people would regard it as desolate. Nearby is a small mine that appears to have been worked by hand. Over the years that I have visited the tiny cabin has continued to deteriorate, and I cannot imagine that it will last much longer.

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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

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.