Tag Archives: trona

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

Sunrise Clouds, Searles Valley

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Sunrise Clouds, Searles Valley
“Sunrise Clouds, Searles Valley” — Fascinating cloud shapes at sunrise, above Searles Valley and the distant Panamint Mountains.

This photograph was a bit of an accident, an example of switching gears to take advantage of an unexpected opportunity. I had stayed in Ridgecrest, California the night before, with a plan to leave very early and photograph the Trona Pinnacles at sunrise. I’ve been there many times, but I have never quite gotten the light I was hoping for, and I thought this might be my chance. But I arrived to find clouds, lots of clouds! It was apparent that I wasn’t going to get the sunrise light on the pinnacles that I hoped for. However, interesting things were happening in the distance.

The highest peaks of the Panamint Range are visible to the north, including Telescope Peak. This mountain is the highest in the Death Valley area with a summit at over 11,000 feet. Lenticular clouds were forming above the ridge and soon colorful sunrise light began to reach them, producing a striking contrast with the dark mountains and more distant clouds.

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

Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly

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Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly
“Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly” — Dawn clouds and the distant Panamint Mountains reflected on the surface of Lake Manly, Death Valley.

I was not surprised to see quite a few people when I visited Death Vally earlier this month. Not only is this the peak season in any year, but the temporary reappearance of Lake Manly has been all over the media. In fact, that’s one of the big reasons I chose to go at this particular point. Over the years I have learned that it is often possible to escape the hordes just by going to a slightly different location than the most obvious ones. So I bypassed the “usual places” when I went out to photograph the lake on this morning — and I went very early, while most people were still sleeping!

There was not really enough light to photograph yet when I arrived here. My first intended target was the early light on the peaks of the Panamint Mountains along the opposite side of the valley. But before the light reached those summits it began to illuminate beautiful clouds forming above the terrain. I like that the absence of detail in the mountains and their reflection accentuates their abstract forms.

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

Pinnacles And Desert Mountains

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Pinnacles And Desert Mountains
Distant desert mountians rise beyond rocky pinnacles in midday light.

Pinnacles And Desert Mountains. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Distant desert mountians rise beyond rocky pinnacles in midday light.

Photographers would typically not photograph a subject like this one on a day like this or at this time of day — close to the middle of a perfectly clear day, with stark desert light. But that’s when I typically pass through this area, always on my travels to and from Death Valley. On this spring day I had gotten on the road very early to start the long drive, planning to arrive in the park by mid-afternoon, so being in this spot was a secondary effect of that planning

But this challenging midday desert light is perhaps more typical of such scenes, with their stark contrasts between bright light and deep, sharp-edged shadows. Here the foreground pinnacles are backlit and almost in silhouette, while in the distance the lower reaches of a giant desert mountain range begin to rise from this broad 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 and Amazon.

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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

Desert Pinnacles

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Desert PInnacles
Tufa pinnacles in the middle of a vast desert valley.

Desert Pinnacles. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Tufa pinnacles in the middle of a vast desert valley.

These lonely tufa tower pinnacles stand alone in the middle of a very large Southern California desert valley. If you passed on the nearby highway and did not know they were there you could easily overlook them — though when you do spot them they make a striking sight.

Beyond their austere and striking visual appeal, they also provide evidence of the remarkable ways that the landscape formed. Despite being in a location which today seems about as arid and unforgiving as you can imagine, they were formed by water. This entire basin was filled with a lake a long time ago, and the towers grew around submerged springs. When the lake disappeared the towers remained.

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 and Amazon.

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.