Tag Archives: california

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Flooded Playa

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Flooded Playa
“Flooded Playa” — The flooded landscape of the playa near Manly Lake, Death Valley.

This is another in a series of photographs of the floor of Death Valley near Badwater, photographed from high in the Black Mountains early one morning. Following a historic storm in August of 2023, this part of the valley flooded, partially reconstituting the historic Lake Manly. There is still a lot of water, and many areas of the playa are currently inaccessible.

To make these photographs I used very long focal length lenses, which allowed me to isolate small areas in this vast terrain. The formations seen here are in a very flat area just upstream of Lake Manly. The area is mostly a salt flat in normal times. Here the blue water makes visible the many wandering channels through which the water flows.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Death Valley and Black Mountains, Evening

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Death Valley and Black Mountains, Evening
“Death Valley and Black Mountains, Evening” — A long evening view across Death Valley toward the distant Black Mountains and Badwater.

Early morning and evening are often the times of best light for photography in Death Valley. It isn’t that you cannot photograph throughout the day, especially if you get into the right kinds of canyons. But then the light can be harsh, the atmosphere hazy, and the colors and details washed out. So I usually follow a strange schedule when I go there to photograph — up well before dawn, back in camp by late morning, breakfast at 11:00AM, then off to photograph again in the late afternoon before I come back to camp after dark.

On this afternoon I had made a long drive up into the mountains, with my plan being to return this direction for the evening light. My timing worked out, and I got here just before the best colors appeared, found a good location, and was set up as the shadows stretched across the valley toward the Black Mountains.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sky, Photographs: Southern California

Pre-Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly

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Pre-Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly
“Pre-Dawn Clouds, Lake Manly” — Pre-dawn clouds fill the sky above the Panamint Mountains reflected in Lake Manly, Death Valley.

The brief interval between darkness and the arrival of the morning sun may be my favorite time of day in the desert. Everything is still and quiet, and I’m often the only person around. The temperature is comfortable, and sometimes as close to cool as it will get. The light changes perceptibly, transitioning from deep twilight blues toward the intensely warm colors of sunrise. And I have a full day ahead of me.

This time I was not completely alone, but I was close to it. The unusual reappearance of Lake Manly had drawn others, and I could see them in the distance on nearby hills. As the light increased, this large cloud above the valley came into focus and drifted slowly above the still waters of the lake and the reflected form of the distant Panamint Mountains.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Lake Manly Shoreline, Desert Mountains

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Lake Manly Shoreline, Desert Mountains
“Lake Manly Shoreline, Desert Mountains” The dark Panamint Mountains rise in the distance beyond the shoreline of ephemeral Lake Manly.

Typically I might simply not attempt to photograph this scene. The glaring sunlight, while somewhat filtered by the clouds, was brightly lighting the white sand deposits along the shoreline of Lake Manly. Distance, haze, and backlight combined to mute the details of the Panamint Mountains. And this light was harsh, not the softer light of early morning or evening. But somehow I felt that the composition and the drama of the light and atmosphere held some promise.

The salt deposits reminded me of important things about this valley. They were a reminder — as is the water of ephemeral Lake Manly — that water played a major role in the formation of this place. And, as high as the water of the lake was at this moment, the yet higher salt deposits made it clear that this is not an unprecedented thing, and that even higher lake levels are still probably possible.

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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.