G Dan Mitchell Photograph: Salt Flats, Dawn Clouds

Clouds float above salt flats and desert mountains in dawn light, Death Valley National Park.

There is a lot I could write about this photograph and the recent trip on which I made it — I think I could easily write a chapter about it. But I’m going to try to keep it shorter. I photograph in Death Valley National Park during at least one week each year and frequently more often. When it comes to photography, this was one of the more difficult trips I’ve taken to the place. Mainly the weather didn’t cooperate much at all, at least not where I was. A couple of days featured gloomy, low contrast overcast. It even managed to rain one night! I reminded myself that I’ve had many beautiful days in this park, and if you go anywhere enough times you’ll see it when it is at its best… and when it isn’t! I also simply enjoy being in the place, so when photography seemed unlikely I explored: checking out some mine sites high in the mountains, wandering up a few washes I hadn’t visited before, and so on.

I was hopeful that the last morning, when I had an hour or so to photograph before I had to pack up my camp, might just provide some lovely light. Things did not begin in a very promising fashion.I had picked a likely location for dawn photography, but in the pre-dawn twilight I could see that a layer of clouds hung over most of the valley. I went ahead and wandered out onto the salt flats. I made a few early photographs — some of which will likely be worth sharing — but things were looking distinctly unspectacular. However, I did enjoy the utter solitude and silence out in this lonely spot on a winter morning when few people were out and about in the park. But patience paid off eventually, as the clouds began to thin a bit and light angled in above the cloud bank to the east, producing a rather spectacular arc of clouds and color above the salt flats.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.

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