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.
Walking through the darkness with head lamps blazing is a bit surreal and it struck me that it was a lot like some of the cool scenes in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” So I whipped out my G11 and recorded the moment.
I’m sure everyone felt a sense of relief when our boots finally start crunching on sand. And our arrival at the dunes was timed with the arrival of just enough light to see that we did indeed make it and were not destined to spend the next 40 years wandering aimlessly in the desert.
We deployed ourselves along one of the many ridges, set up our tripods and began our preparations to properly greet the sun.
The morning was beautiful and the company even better. We all turned to face the sun and were eventually rewarded for our patience.
With the sun up we scattered into this wonderland to pursue each individual’s vision.
These are some of the great moments in a photography workshop and are treasured as much as the great photos we return home with.
Join me on an upcoming workshop.