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“… nature – unadulterated and unimproved by man – is simply chaos.” Edward Weston.

There’s no argument that Edward Weston was one of the finest photographers that ever tripped a shutter.  And one of the aspects of his photography that he is most revered for is his compositions.  He was the absolute master in his studio but when it came to photographing nature he admitted that it was the most difficult of all.  Why?  Because nature is chaos.

Nature is Chaos

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We wrapped up the 2010 Death Valley photography workshop this morning and most everyone is on their way home now.  The grand finale was photographing Telescope Peak from Bad Water.  How was it?  See for yourself.

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On the morning of day 3 of the Death Valley photography workshop, the weatherman called for rain and wind.  With that in mind we decided that Zabriskie Point would present the best opportunities for sunrise and hoped to get a few good black and white photographs of the badlands.  When we left for Zabriskie at 5:15 it was windy as anticipated.  But overhead it looked like a few stars were twinkling although it was hard to tell for sure in the dark night sky with the Stovepipe Wells Village parking lot lights shining in our eyes.

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Yesterday morning our photography workshop shot sunrise from Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley National Park.  One of the really fun aspects of sunrise out there is trying to arrive on site before the sky starts to get light.  In other words, we start heading out to the dunes while it’s still dark, very dark.  We strike out into the desert without being able to see our destination.  It can cause a bit of trepidation amongst the attendees.

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The days have gotten by and here’s the first posting from during the workshop.  So far, we’ve covered Zabriskie Point, Mesquite Dunes and Artist’s Palette.  I’ve spent way more time helping the attendees than shooting myself.  And virtually no time working on images.  But last night at Artist’s Palette I came away I came away with a couple of images that I’d like to share.

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The Death Valley photography workshop will officially kick off in a couple of hours.  But some of the attendees have already shown up and we’ve been out shooting last night and this morning.  It’s all been very informal.

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Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

The moods of Zabriskie Point often go unnoticed, unobserved. But it possesses a quite, intimate presence not visible in the glare of the desert sun. It only appears briefly in that magic time when day transitions into night. Then the moods briefly reveal themselves before night’s dark realm covers the land and the world rests.

Photographed during the 2009 Death Valley photography workshop.

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Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

I just added this to my website today. It is also on fllickr. I’m very happy with the way it turned out. It’s moody and I like it that way – have it as the wall paper on my laptop now.

It was photographed in February 2009 at last year’s Death Valley photography workshop.  This is a bit unusual for me in that it is a sunset image.  I normally like sunrise at Zabriskie Point so this is a departure and one I’m very pleased with.

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One week from today I’ll be arriving in Death Valley National Park for the 2010 Death Valley Photography Workshop that runs from February 20-23.   This will be the second time Jack Graham and I have teamed up for this exciting workshop.  And we have a great one planned. 

Death Valley is filled with photographic opportunities.  February in Death Valley is really extraordinary, especially this year.  It’s an El Nino year which for California means we’re getting higher than average rain fall.  And Death Valley is getting its fair share – relatively speaking that is. Already Death Valley has received its average annual rainfall with more storms on the way.

A friend who was in Death Valley a couple of weekends ago reported that Cotton Balls Basin was already filling with water.  Cotton Balls Basin is the large salt pan north of Furnace Creek and near the Harmony Borax Works.  Oh, and I learned where it got its strange name.  Cotton Balls is another term for borax.  In the old days they mined borax there.  Cotton Balls Basin is where we got the unbelievable Death Valley Reflection photographs last year.

If the water is still there this year we’ll be out there for sunrise.

Speaking of sunrise, we will be shooting sunrises and sunsets of course.  For sunrises we will photograph that fantastic period before the sun comes up when the earth is awash in the cool, soft dawn light.  After the sun sets we’ll continue to shoot the beautiful twilight light.  And we’ll take full advantage of the wonderful warm light and long shadows of the golden hour, the hour after sunrise and before sunset. 

But in the middle of the day, when the light is simply not there, we’ll devote our time to photo reviews and instruction.  Every participant will have an opportunity to share the photos they are taking with Jack, me and the other participants for some instant feedback.  And we’ll  be covering some great photography topics.

I’ll be talking about the photo foundation – exposure and focus.  I’ll also do a presentation on composition as well as one on the important subject of HDR.  Jack will talk about his 20 tips to be a great photographer, his workflow and close up or macro photography.  And in the field, Jack and I will be working closely with the students to help them get the most out of each location.  You can see in addition to great photography this workshop is packed with photographic learning opportunities.

So, like I said at the start, we have an exciting workshop planned for next week.  If you want to get in on the fun but missed the Death Valley workshop, Jack and I will be leading more.  You can find Jack’s photography workshop schedule on his website.  And my workshops are listed on my site.

But as far as Death Valley is concerned, we’ll definitely be back next February.

To see more of my photographs click here.