This little geological vignette intrigued me. While exploring an area in Death Valley featuring very dark, fine gravel that almost has the appearance of shallow dunes, I came across low flat areas where water has obviously collected in the past. Now there was a surface of old mud, cracked into separate pieces as it dried, a familiar desert sight. But here this surface was pockmarked with small black stones.
Continue reading Mud And Stones
We re-visited this location in Death Valley at the recommendation of a friend. I have photographed here before but was never particularly inspired by the subject. We arrived late in the day, and almost didn’t get there in time for decent light… because we stopped before we got there when I was distracted by another subject.
We showed up just as the sun was dropping behind high ridges to the west, and clouds were further softening the light. That soft light is often good for a subject like this. For one thing it makes the subject less harsh. For another it reduces the contrast between highlights and shadows and opens up those shadows a bit.
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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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Some folks have written asking for ideas and advice about visiting Death Valley. (My first advice is go last month – too hot now!) In response I decided to start writing something that summarizes my experience (which is significant, but nowhere near that of the real DV experts) in the park, especially as it pertains to photographic locations and times of day/year to visit.
I originally thought I’d finish it right after my return from the park at the beginning of April. Didn’t happen… Instead, as I wrote the darn thing kept getting longer and longer. Today I decided to illustrate it with some of my DV photographs, and then I sat back and made a longer outline of the subjects I will eventually cover.
All of this is my way of saying that there eventually will be an article here on photographing Death Valley… but please be patient.