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Manly Peak
Death Valley, CA – Sunday, December 28, 2008Death Valley is my winter happy place. When the days turn cold and gray, there is nowhere I’d rather be than here, exploring the many strange and colorful features that make up this stark desert landscape. And there is no desert vista more beautiful than Zabriskie Point with the sun peeking over the Funeral Mountains in the cool of early morning.
Silhouettes at Sunrise
Death Valley, CA – Sunday, December 28, 2008
The Boy in Gower Gulch
Death Valley, CA – Sunday, December 28, 2008Zabriskie Point serves as the trailhead for several routes down into Death Valley proper. The Boy and I decided to take the 3.3 mile Gower Gulch route.
The Two Hikers
Death Valley, CA – Sunday, December 28, 2008
Losing the Hat
Death Valley, CA – Sunday, December 28, 2008After climbing down from Zabriskie Point, we climbed up another promontory to the immediate south. It was already warm and getting warmer. Before long, we wouldn’t need hats, gloves, or coats—just another reason Death Valley is my winter happy place.
Twenty Mule Team Canyon
Death Valley, CA – Sunday, December 28, 2008
Mesquite Dunes
Death Valley, CA – Monday, December 29, 2008The Mesquite Dunes are another great location for a sunrise shoot in Death Valley. It’s hard to say which spot attracts more photographers for any given sunrise—Zabriskie Point or the dunes—but I am certain to meet fellow photogs in either place.
Tracks
Death Valley, CA – Monday, December 29, 2008If there’s a downside to the Mesquite Dunes, it is the fact that they are right off the highway. No one passes them without stopping. Unless there is a windstorm overnight, being the first one out there in the morning is no guarantee of pristine dunes.
Light and Shadow
Death Valley, CA – Monday, December 29, 2008
Patterns and Shapes
Death Valley, CA – Monday, December 29, 2008
The Mesquite Bush
Death Valley, CA – Monday, December 29, 2008The image of this backlit Mesquite bush on the edge of the dune field, shot with a 24mm tilt-shift lens and intentionally blown out, turned out to be my favorite photograph from our trip. What does Lewis think of it? “It’s a bush, Dad.”
Shapes in Salt
Death Valley, CA – Monday, December 29, 2008The massive salt flat at the south end of Death Valley is an amazing place to explore. During the heat of summer, it has lured people out to their deaths. Even on sunny winter days, venturing out onto it without sunglasses is a mistake that will leave you walking with your eyes closed. Our foray began after the sun had already dropped below the Panamint Range to the west.
Moonset
Death Valley, CA – Monday, December 29, 2008I always try to schedule my trips around the phases of the moon. Shooting landscapes under a full moon can yield really fun results. But when it comes to photographing the moon itself, I prefer a narrow crescent over a fully illuminated disk. I find it makes for a more compelling photograph—if not a more difficult walk back to the truck.
Moon Over The Panamints
Death Valley, CA – Monday, December 29, 2008
6:44 am - The Pre-Dawn Pastels of Zabriskie Point
Death Valley, CA – Tuesday, December 30, 2008Our third morning in Death Valley found us back at Zabriskie Point. This series of shots illustrates the drama that unfolds here on a sunny morning. The pre-dawn light paints these badlands in a deep pink which ultimately surrenders to the golden rays of sunrise—first on the Panamints along the western edge of Death Valley; then Manly Peak; and finally the many colorful mud hills that make up the immediate landscape.
7:16 am - First Light on Manly Peak
Death Valley, CA – Tuesday, December 30, 2008
7:28 am - Sunrise Across the Badlands
Death Valley, CA – Tuesday, December 30, 2008
View of Zabriskie Point and Gower Gulch
Death Valley, CA – Tuesday, December 30, 2008After the sun had risen, I opted to take the shorter 2.7 mile Golden Canyon Trail down into the valley. This route is far more open than Gower Gulch. The views are spectacular.
View Toward Death Valley
Death Valley, CA – Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Trail Marker
Death Valley, CA – Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Alluvial
Death Valley, CA – Tuesday, December 30, 2008previous image set: Goldfield, Nevada
next image set: Alabama Hills, California
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