Arnie set the alarm for some alarmingly early hour, 3:30-ish. A.M., that is. Ugh! We had a 6-o’clock flight out to Houston and on to Las Vegas where we picked up our rental car and drove to death Valley.
Of course, we made the obligatory stop at Costco. For one, I was starving, and Arnie found some healthy goodies for our lunch while I caught up on e-mails in the parking lot. Thank god for my iPad. My paws are too big to type on a cell phone, but the iPad makes it a snap.
It has been quite a few years since I visited Death Valley, and this is Arnie’s first time here. He is as enthralled with the area as I am. Jagged mountains rise out of the desert, then smooth out into alluvial fans. Layers of bedrock tip upward, a sign of the amazing strength of our changing landscape. Different-colored stripes bespeak the various periods in the making of the earth.
Once we entered Death Valley National Park, the sun was getting lower, casting long shadows and adding great definition to the mountains and hills. As we drove through a curvy section of the road, we noticed some ochre and black hills that begged to be photographed.
Finding a safe place to pull over was a bit of a challenge, so we had to continue on, find a good place to turn around (thank heavens for a small turning radius), come back at the scene, go beyond, turn around again, then safely park. Whew! Those of you who go out exploring know how this is.
There were wonderful undulations in the hills, and both Arnie and I were attracted to one particular section. I can see it as a subject for a future Same Place – Different View.
I carefully composed my shot, knowing I would crop it on the fourth side, turning it into a square-ish format to accent all the diagonal lines.
Up a side road and around a corner, we came upon a riot of earthy colors.
What struck us, though, was the way the final rays of the sun made a patch of ochre rock glow. The contrast of the craggy, lit rock against the smoother curves in the fore- and background made the golden one stand out so much more.
The angles and shapes were also compelling. I made a few images, some vertical like this one, some horizontal, but it is this one that I like best.
Tomorrow, we head off in another direction to go exploring and do some more photography of our own. We can’t wait!
This park offers such an amazing variety of topography, textures, colors, and elevations. What more could a photographer want?
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The images are so strong! Did you try any b&w shots? Just wondering.
David,
First, thank you! I do black and white shots, to wit The Glory of Black and White at https://www.BCphotoadventures.com/blog/2011/10/22/the-glory-of-black-and-white/.
I know I’ll do some from Death Valley and likely Joshua Tree, too, but frankly, with scouting and the workshop, there hasn’t been time!
Take care, and thanks for the kind comment!
TBC
Margo and Arnie,
Good to have you back in the West! Sorry I won’t get to see you this trip. Have you ever scouted Southern Arizona? Have great scouting and another great workshop!
Larry,
We wish you were here, too. Although, as you’ll see in yesterday’s blog, which I was unable to publish last night, we have been treated to a real desert storm.
And in answer to your question, yes, I have scouted southern Arizona, although it is the northeastern part of the state in particular that keeps drawing me back.
Take care, and thanks for writing,
TBC
Margo and Arnie, I have fond memories of Death Valley’s sere landscape and unusual inhabitants.
I also had the joy with a new wife of sealing the cabin and turning up the heat in June, just to see what it felt like. Story of my life and, guess what, a former wife :).
As you are auto enthusiasts, it may interest you that as we were tooling along at a good speed, a pack of raven painted vehicles appeared from behind out of nowhere and passed us by, though the effect was of having been driven clean through. They had no identifying markings, but it appeared that Mercedes-Benz likes Death Valley for testing new vehicles.
Have fun out there!
Rick
Rick,
So true, including about the former wife, but what might you expect after that!
As to the cars, you are so right; this is one of the locations in which they like to test. We’ve also seen those UBCs (unidentified black cars) with only the tell-take grill in the Moab area and assorted other areas. They like the heat of the desert to test things out.
We are here in December so we will not resemble those cartoons of the men crossing the sands on hands and knees!
Thanks for your comments,
TBC
Looking forward to more reports. Have never been to Death Valley. Would love to be with you scanning the many possible photographic possibilities. Have a great time.
John,
So are we! It is always fun to explore an area, whether one visited before, as in my case, or new as in Arnie’s. Either way, there are always new things to discover.
Sorry you aren’t with us this round. Check out the 2012 calendar. We have some great new destinations!
Take care, and thanks, as always, for writing,
TBC