Tag Archives: Wind

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

Sunset Sand Storm

Image Leave a comment
Sunset Sand Storm
A sunset sand storm partially obscures sand dunes in Death Valley National Park.

Sunset Sand Storm. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A sunset sand storm partially obscures sand dunes in Death Valley National Park.

This is another photograph from the tremendous wind and sand storm that blew though on our last afternoon in Death Valley at the end of March. These storms are common there, and if you spend much time in the park you have a good chance of experiencing one. If the prospect sounds exciting, well, it is… but it can also be very uncomfortable and even dangerous, and the romantic notion of wandering the wind-whipped dunes during a sand storm is quickly trumped down by the reality of flying sand and dust.

I positioned myself just outside the maelstrom and put a long lens on my camera. The winds were so strong — likely in the 50mph range — that my tripod was useless, especially with the long lens. I resorted to handholding the camera, switching on image stabilization, bracing myself against the nearest solid object, and trying to time exposures for brief moments when the gale diminished a bit.

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.

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

Dunes, Blowing Dust

Image Leave a comment
Dunes, Blowing Dust
A late-afternoon spring dust storm sweeps across sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

Dunes, Blowing Dust. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A late-afternoon spring dust storm sweeps across sand dunes, Death Valley National Park.

This was a wild scene. By late afternoon it was clear that high winds and blowing dust were on their way. We hunkered down for a while and ate an early dinner while waiting to see what would develop. The winds continued to build and the sand and dust were heading more and more in our direction. These conditions are both compelling and extremely uncomfortable, but my desire to photograph overcame my common sense and I headed out.

Since the winds were blowing from to my left and a bit behind me, I decided to head to an elevated spot where I would at least not be directly in the cloud of blowing sand. From this location I could look down and across the dunes and the clouds of sand sweeping across them. The wind was still a problem — a big problem actually. It was blowing so hard that even my relatively stout tripod was useless, so I leaned against a fixed object, raised the shutter speed, turned on image-stabilization and hoped for the best. It was literally impossible to hold the camera steady, so I resorted to timing my exposures for brief moments when things at least slowed down a little bit.

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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Evening, Alpine Lake and Peaks

Image Leave a comment
Evening, Alpine Lake and Peaks
The view from an alpine wilderness lake overlooks high peaks of the southern Sierra Nevada.

Evening, Alpine Lake and Peaks. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The view from an alpine wilderness lake overlooks high peaks of the southern Sierra Nevada.

Experiencing the high country brings all sorts of rewards — the thrill of high peaks, the beauty of a summer meadow, the (mostly) joy of traversing forests and crossing creeks, and much more. Many of these are immediately accessible, and you can enjoy them just by getting out of your car and walking a little. Some take a bit longer, perhaps requiring an overnight stay away from roads. Still others only come after a relatively long time on the trail — long enough to almost forget that there was another life before you started walking.

Some of these experiences are, at least for me, both remarkable and a bit difficult to put into words. This evening just west of the Southern Sierra crest was one of those times. I was part of a small group of friends who had grown comfortable backpacking together over the years. We were nine days out on a trans-Sierra trip, and we had fully settled into the routines of the trail. In the morning we would get up very early and ascend the highest peak in the range before making the 7000′ descent to the trailhead and the “real world.” But on this evening there was nothing more important to do than wander slowly around this lake and gaze at distant ridges as the day came to an end.

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.

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

Dunes and Blowing Sand

Image Leave a comment
Dunes and Blowing Sand
Streamers of blowing sand from a rising dust storm along the edges of a tall sand dune.

Dunes and Blowing Sand. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Streamers of blowing sand from a rising dust storm along the edges of a tall sand dune.

The desert landscape has a way of reminding us how small we are. Sometimes this happens in unexpected ways, perhaps in a moment when the air is still in a quiet, lonely place and a sense of deep time may become overwhelming. More familiar manifestations are common, including such things as the nearly unbearable power of a desert wind storm, or standing on a peak and overlooking hundreds of square miles of what appears to be “empty” terrain.

I photographed these dunes on a windy afternoon and evening. The winds increased as I worked alone At times streamers of sand blew past me, over the lips of folds in the dunes, and sometimes even uphill. I would pause, hunch my shoulders a bit, steady tripod and camera, and resume photographing a moment later. I made this photograph from near the bottom of a tall dune, angling the camera slightly upwards to include its windward face.

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 | 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.