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Death Valley has a reputation for extremes. It is the lowest place, the driest place, and the hottest place in North America. Yet, it is but a “stone’s throw” from our highest mountain in the contiguous states, Mt. Whitney, and the snow-capped peaks of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. This year, however, with the relentless atmospheric rivers dumping record amounts of snow and rain in the region, we enjoyed a cooler and wetter spring photo journey with the weather systems providing beautifully dramatic skies throughout the week. When we headed west out of Las Vegas, we could see precipitation coming down ahead of us. Turns out it rained hard for most of the drive to Pahrump and beyond but as we approached the park boundary, it was as if it had not rained at all—thus reaffirming the reputation. After settling into our lodging for the next six nights and grabbing a quick bite for dinner, we headed right out to brush the dust off our cameras. A quick ten-minute drive and we were at one of the most photographed locations in the park, Zabriskie Point. The light was muted with an overcast sky but we were able to take advantage of blue hour lighting to start thinking about landscape photography.
Tuesday’s forecast was for rain. Given that Artist’s Palette is best in overcast or early morning conditions, we jumped at the chance for a water enhanced saturation effect for our photos. We were not disappointed! Our morning was consumed with this place and the incredible pinks, greens, reds, and purples found in these formations. It let up enough for us to do a quick field breakfast then off we went to find other super saturated (literally) landscapes. With rain adding depth and layering to the scene, we chose to drive 20 Mule Team Canyon and explore a different palette of colors. It was a very productive (if a bit soggy) morning with fantastic opportunities for photography. By the afternoon, the rain had lifted a bit, so we headed to Mesquite Dunes to get the lay of the land and orient ourselves for arriving in the dark the next day. We had rain off and on, but it was good to get out in the dunes and start looking at compositions and patterns. Another early morning had us out amongst the dunes before sunup. Being some of the very few people out there that early gave us a pick of locations for first light. Some wandered off to choose their own places while several of us stayed together to search out compositions to share. The light reflecting off the atmosphere and the few clouds that were around gave the dunes a wonderfully golden glow before the sun came above the horizon. We were like kids in a candy shop as the light began to play on the ripples in the sand and sculpting of the dunes. So much to see and capture here from distant landscapes to close up abstracts and everything in between. We chose scenes shooting into the sun for a more ethereal feel then turned our backs to the sun for the more classic dunescapes. We were not at a loss for subject matter. When the light became a bit too harsh for our tastes, we made our way over to Mosaic Canyon for a little over the top geology and practice with focus stacking or bracketing while capturing the beautiful rock formations found along the way. Again, after a mid-day break to recharge batteries (literally and figuratively), we decided to explore a bit more on foot by wandering through Gold Canyon. This is a place where everyone’s eye is drawn to different things. Some went big, exploring further up the trail while others lingered, watching how the light bounced off one surface to light up the shadowed side of another.
With only a few days left and the weather finally looking good for solid morning light, Wednesday found us at one of the most iconic spots in Death Valley for sunrise, Zabriskie Point. Our first evening here had been quite cloudy with good blue light but this morning we had some fabulous clouds to the west while a clear sky to the east. It was a classic morning shoot here but the sky and clouds truly made the scene come together in a way that a clear blue sky just does not. We had texture and alpenglow and pastel pinks in the clouds. It was simply perfect and as the sun climbed higher, the patterns in the landscape to the south came to life. What a morning! When the light was finally too high for good shadows, we wandered off to find more of those fabled desert wildflowers. There was one place we found that was truly green and where the diversity of plants was completely unexpected in “Death Valley.” We spent the remainder of the morning here photographing. While it was not the sought after super bloom, it was certainly blooming and there was a lot to capture.
On our final full day of the trip, we had some choices to make. It was the first virtually cloudless day of the whole week so thought we would give Badwater Basin another go. We made our way back out onto the salt pan and worked on using filters as the sun began to light up the snow-covered slopes of Telescope Peak while the basin was still in shadow. Again, the polygon textures added a nice foreground element to the scene. Once done with those compositions, we chose to wait for the sun to peak over Dante’s View above us to capture a sunburst scene with the salt polygons for context. It was quite the wait and the moment passed in seconds, but it was worth it.
Death Valley is a complex ecosystem and a place of extremes. Photographically, it would seem to be quite static but just the opposite is true. It is a dynamic landscape that offers up something different each time we arrive with a camera. I always leave excited about the next visit.