{"id":4198,"date":"2018-12-01T20:54:20","date_gmt":"2018-12-02T04:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/?p=4198"},"modified":"2018-12-01T21:14:23","modified_gmt":"2018-12-02T05:14:23","slug":"photographing-death-valley-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/2018\/12\/01\/photographing-death-valley-national-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographing Death Valley National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

People sometimes ask me if there\u2019s anything to photograph in Death Valley. \u00a0At 5,262 square miles of desert and mountains, it\u2019s one of the largest national parks. \u00a0The valley itself is 140 miles long. \u00a0Think of it. \u00a0It takes three hours to drive from one end to the other. \u00a0And surely, in all that space there should be something to photograph. \u00a0And yet, most of it is desert. \u00a0In fact, the valley itself is the hottest, driest place on earth. It\u2019s also the lowest spot in North America at 282 feet below sea level. \u00a0So what\u2019s to photograph?<\/p>\n

Mesquite Flats Dunes<\/h2>\n

\"Death<\/p>\n

Being a desert you might expect sand dunes and you would be right. \u00a0The Mesquite Flats Dunes are in the middle of the valley near Stovepipe Wells. \u00a0While not excessively high, they cover a large area and provide wonderful photographic opportunities at both sunrise and sunset. \u00a0I prefer sunrise which means heading out across the desert while it\u2019s still dark to arrive at the dunes just as it\u2019s starting to get light. \u00a0I go to a place that\u2019s not heavily visited. \u00a0It\u2019s an exciting experience.<\/p>\n

Zabriskie Point<\/h2>\n

\"Zabriskie<\/p>\n

Zabriskie Point is one of the most visited places in Death Valley. \u00a0It attracts photographers and tourists alike. \u00a0At first it looks like an inhospitable badlands with not much to offer the photographer except a lot of tan wilderness. \u00a0But at the right time of day these \u2018bad\u2019 lands become extraordinarily beautiful.<\/p>\n

\"Zabriskie<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all a matter of being there at the right time.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Badwater<\/h2>\n

Badwater is famous for having the lowest point in North America – 282 feet below sea level. \u00a0I\u2019ve photographed the tourist version of Badwater but have another out-of-the-way place in the Badwater area that I much prefer and it can be incomparable at sunrise.<\/p>\n

\"Death<\/p>\n

Artist\u2019s Palette<\/h2>\n

Not far from my favorite Badwater location is Artist\u2019s Palette where nature puts on a spectacular display of color. \u00a0It\u2019s almost beyond belief.<\/p>\n

\"Artists<\/p>\n

The intensity of the color is not always apparent and depends on being there at the right time of day. \u00a0And there\u2019s a very interesting lesson to learn about light what I enjoy sharing on my workshops.<\/p>\n

Devil\u2019s Golf Course<\/h2>\n

Also in this area is the chaotic and rugged Devil\u2019s Golf Course.<\/p>\n

\"Devils<\/p>\n

Slabs of salt are broken and twisted to create a fanciful \u2018golf course\u2019 that only the devil himself could appreciate. \u00a0It\u2019s a prime example of the role that salt plays in the valley and the variety of forms it can take. \u00a0One thing I caution people about is to be careful when navigating out there. \u00a0Falling would be like falling on lava with the added discomfort and humiliation of rubbing salt in the wounds.<\/p>\n

Mosaic Canyon<\/h2>\n

\"Mosaic<\/p>\n

Mosaic Canyon is a gem to experience. \u00a0It is a small slot canyon that is lined with mosaic type rock called breccia which sits atop a layer of marble. The canyon walls are carved and polished by occasional flash floods and make for a fascinating experience.<\/p>\n

Cotton Ball Playa<\/h2>\n

An unmarked destination is Cotton Ball Playa. \u00a0This is a huge expanse of salt that gets its name from the crystals of borax that were once mined in Death Valley. \u00a0The crystals are shaped like tiny cotton balls about the size of a pinto bean. \u00a0But the feature that makes it the most interesting from a photographer’s point of view is the water table is very high here and it\u2019s not uncommon to find standing water which makes this great for reflection shots. \u00a0If it\u2019s not water you find, it\u2019s the results of flowing water that makes this a fascinating location to photograph.<\/p>\n

\"Cottonball<\/p>\n

Racetrack Playa<\/h2>\n

Speaking of playas, the Racetrack is probably the best known and least accessible. \u00a0It lies at the end of a 27 mile dirt road that is infamous for puncturing tires. \u00a0If you\u2019re careful and don\u2019t go too fast, you can navigate the road without incident. \u00a0Once you\u2019re there you are treated to the moving rocks that seem to slide over the playa as if by magic, leaving trails behind them.<\/p>\n

\"Wanderer<\/p>\n

The mystery is gone, however. \u00a0Up until a few years ago, no one had ever seen them move. \u00a0There were a couple of theories on how it happened but they were all speculation. \u00a0Finally, a team actually observed them moving and the mystery was solved. \u00a0It stems from a confluence of events. \u00a0First of all, the playa must be flooded to a depth of a couple of inches. \u00a0This frequently happens during the \u2018wet\u2019 season. \u00a0Second, the night has to drop below freezing. Third, a thin crust of ice must form. \u00a0And last, when the morning sun comes up a breeze must start to blow across the playa (which is also very common in the desert). This breeze breaks up the thin ice which starts to be blown across the water. \u00a0When the ice encounters a rock, it backs up behind it and eventually the force is strong enough to move the rock. \u00a0As you can see, the rock can be pushed in this way for hundreds of feet.<\/p>\n

Even though we now know how it happens, there is still a sense of mystery and awe to walk on the playa and observe this first hand.<\/p>\n

Dante\u2019s View<\/h2>\n

Another popular tourist destination is Dante\u2019s View. \u00a0This mile-high viewpoint is directly above Badwater and has a spectacular view of the central and northern portions of the valley. \u00a0On a clear day you can easily see 70 miles.<\/p>\n

\"Death<\/p>\n

As with most of the other locations, getting the best photographs from Dante\u2019s View is knowing the best time to be there. \u00a0And as it turns out, arriving in mid-afternoon allows you to watch the shadows of the Panamint mountains to the west creep across the valley floor.<\/p>\n

Aguereberry Point<\/h2>\n

As spectacular as Dante\u2019s View is, I prefer Aguereberry Point for panoramic views of the valley. It is 1000\u2019 higher than Dante’s View, is on the opposite side of the valley and further north.<\/p>\n

There are two views from Aguereberry Point. \u00a0The one to the south looks down a rugged canyon to Badwater and Dante\u2019s View above it.<\/p>\n

\"Aguereberry<\/p>\n

The view to the north looks down on Furnace Creek and Cotton Ball Playa.<\/p>\n

\"Aguereberry<\/p>\n

Dante\u2019s View is accessible by a paved road where Aguereberry Point offers a bit more adventure. \u00a0The last several miles are on a dirt road that starts out innocent enough but turns into a high clearance only road. \u00a0It\u2019s not near as bad as the Racetrack road but it has produced one flat tire that I\u2019m personally aware of.<\/p>\n

So, what do you think? \u00a0Does Death Valley have enough worthwhile things to photograph to keep you busy for four days (and I didn’t cover them all)? \u00a0The fact is, you can\u2019t do it all in just four days. \u00a0But you can do enough of it to have a satisfying and rewarding experience and return home with some great photographs.<\/p>\n

And while any landscape photography experience is subject to the whims of Mother Nature, you never know when you may be honored with something like this\u2026.<\/p>\n

\"Desert<\/p>\n

The super bloom cannot be predicted but when it happens, as it did in 2016, it is beyond belief and a thrill to behold.<\/p>\n

I would be honored if you would choose to join me and let me show you the wonders of Death Valley first hand.<\/p>\n

For more information, go to Death Valley Workshop<\/a>.<\/p>\n

See you in Death Valley!<\/p>\n

(353)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Enjoy some of the photographic wonders of Death Valley National Park on an exciting photography workshop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1453,1436,8],"tags":[87,92,294,1454,1407,498,288,199],"class_list":["post-4198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fine-art-photography","category-landscape-photography","category-workshops","tag-death-valley","tag-death-valley-national-park","tag-landscape-photography","tag-landscapes-2","tag-photo-workshop","tag-photo-workshops","tag-photography-workshop","tag-photography-workshops"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Nl7-15I","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4198"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4203,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4198\/revisions\/4203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}