Tag Archives: panamint

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

Panamint Range Snow, Evening Light

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Panamint Range Snow, Evening Light
Late-day light illuminates snow covered ridges and thin forest along the summit of the Panamint Range, Death Valley National Park.

Panamint Range Snow, Evening Light. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Late-day light illuminates snow covered ridges and thin forest along the summit of the Panamint Range, Death Valley National Park.

The reputation of Death Valley National Park is mostly tied to heat — the desert, the dunes, the rare rainfall. I once asked German relatives why they choose to visit in the middle of summer when few of us would choose to go there. The answer, more or less, was that Death Valley is famous for being the hottest place on earth, and that is what they wanted to experience. People who “know” the park from that perspective are often shocked to find that snow is common here in the mountains.

When we visited the Panamint Mountains at the beginning spring the snow was plentiful, and we actually experienced a moderate snow squall. (One of the oddest experiences I’ve had in this park was some years back when we photographed spring wildflowers during a snow storm in Death Valley. Let that one sink in for a moment.) Late on this day we went to a high overlook to wait for sunset, and the warm light illuminated this nearby ridge in the very late afternoon.

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

Distant Mountains

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Distant Mountains
The east escarpment of the Panamint Range rises above Death Valley Hills in morning light.

Distant Mountains. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

The east escarpment of the Panamint Range rises above Death Valley Hills in morning light.

As I keep saying when I post Death Valley photographs (yeah, broken record…) the distances there are immense. As a result, atmospheric haze often has a distinct effect on photographs of the larger landscape. This can be challenging — the effect on colors is not always attractive. But it also can enhance the sense of depth in the image. A friend of mine refers to the effect as “atmospheric recession,” though I understand that the better known term may be “atmospheric perspective.” The colors shift, contrast decreases, and fine details can be diminished.

This photograph clearly makes use of the effect. I was photographing across Death Valley from an elevate position with a very long focal length. The low foreground hills are a good distance away, but not so far that they are strongly affected by haze — thus the greater contrast and especially the dark shadows. But the lower slopes of the Panamint are many miles away, and the haze has a big effect of their appearance.

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

Mountains and Fan, Morning

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Mountains and Fan, Morning
Morning light on desert mountains and an immense alluvial fan, Death Valley National Park.

Mountains and Fan, Morning. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Morning light on desert mountains and an immense alluvial fan, Death Valley National Park.

The scale of the landscape in Death Valley is difficult to comprehend. Vistas often encompass huge distances — it isn’t uncommon to be looking at mountains that are tens of miles away, sometimes many tens of miles. Entering this landscape on foot often reveals this truth: An alluvial fan that looks relatively manageable from a distance might take a hour or several to cross.

I made this photograph just after dawn. It looks across Death Valley toward the base of the Panamint Range, rugged and tall mountains topped by Telescope Peak, the highest point in the park. I used a long lens, which drastically compresses the distance. If you were to set out to walk to that wash on the distant alluvial fan at the base of the mountains it would take you at least a day to get there.

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

The Overlook

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The Overlook
A person stands on a high point overlooking Death Valley and distant mountains.

The Overlook. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A person stands on a high point overlooking Death Valley and distant mountains.

As I write this text, a few days before the photograph will post, it seems likely that this will be the final photograph in the series from my January visit to Death Valley National Park. I like to spend the better part of a week photographing there in the winter — the most pleasant and arguably the most beautiful time of the year there. (All bets are off if it is a good wildflower year!)

I shared a different photograph of this scene a few days ago. This one features a singe individual instead of a pair. Such a difference might seem small, but I think that the image of two people in such a place can evoke a different response than the image of a lone person in the immense landscape. I made this one in portrait (vertical) mode — partly because I think it works this way and partly because sometimes people are interested in a scene framed that way!

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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