Death Valley Photography

Death Valley

More Than Sand and Heat

This section presents Death Valley in it's usual condition. The following section (below) shows scenes that few people will have the chance to see more than once in their lives. Both sections offer dramatic views of this land of contrasts.

I've seen Death Valley from several perspectives. The most common approach is to see the sights by car. To that experience, I've added single-day 200-mile bicycle rides from Furnace Creek to Shoshone and back, and many hiking adventures. Each experience has it's advantages, and each brings new appreciation for the area.

California's Death Valley National Park is much more than sand and high temperatures. Take time to do some exploring. Unique geological features and remnants of mining operations can be found in several locations.

Shown here is a sample of the diversity that can be seen not far from the roadway. Artist's Palette, Devil's Golf Course, Badwater, and the Borax Works are all visible by car, and although walking the golf course is awkward, all of these areas can be explored on foot. Death Valley is harsh, and for the most part it doesn't exhibit flamboyant color. But there are textures and lines, and sometimes people, that can be composed to show the character of this remarkable area.

Most of my favorite places at Death Valley are along the perimeter of the valley and away from the paved road. There are dozens of canyons surrounding the valley. Hiking the canyons and ridges brings a chance to see the shapes and light that make this area so much fun and challenging to photograph. Four-wheel drive will expand your range, but there's splendid hiking starting near roadside, too. Take plenty of water, even in winter. This is a dry place.

My photograph at Marble Canyon earned a First Place Award at SMCC, June 2000, and was also an Award Winner at the Autumn Arts Festival (they don't separate first, second and third places). Desert Wallflower is a quiet, passive image, depicting an active perseverance of life. It earned a Third Place award at SMCC.

Death Valley Comes Alive

Death Valley is a land of extremes, and their nature is not always predictable. Winter of 2005 brought more rain and runoff to Death Valley than any of the previous fifty years. The photographs in this section were made in March and April of that year.

At left, Dawn over Salt Flat is a wide-angle view of Salt Flats. The salt is still clean and brilliant before the last remaining water evaporates and winds deliver the usual layer of dust and sand. Panamints and Salt contrasts the snow-covered ridge of the Panamint Mountains with the salt formations of Death Valley. As the water here evaporates, it draws minerals out of the ground and leaves the formations seen here at Devil's Golf Course. Both of these areas were drying quickly, to return to their usual dry, brown dust-covered condition.

The rain brought flowers. They didn't just dot the landscape; they painted it. When Death Valley Comes Alive, we can look across Devil's Golf Course (still mostly under water), and see the swath of color across the alluvial fans of the foothills. It's a remarkable contrast to the usual view shown in the section above. In another view from this location, The Odds Against Crossing is an ominous study in contrasts.

Complementary colors of Desert Palette produce a full-spectrum study of flora and environment. It's another display of elements in contrast. It would be interesting to return to that same spot to see if there's any evidence left of this spring display. Not likely; it would only be a matter of "well, this is where it was."

Another view from the Borax works, Sunworn Barrel, shows the effect of time and sun in more detail. The textures and shapes represent a small slice of industry from years ago. Another slice of time and place is Entry of a Dream, photographed at Scotty's Castle. I like the shapes and subtle color contrasts. But are we looking down or are we looking up? Close inspection reveals the answer, but, like a dream, there's something slightly abnormal about it. (There ought to be a white rabbit with a pocket watch hanging around there somewhere.)