Winter 2014 Death Valley Photo Workshop Recap

First off, thanks to Mary, Lisa, Dan, Caryn, Lori, Eric, and Adam for joining us on our winter Death Valley photography workshop. We appreciate you all joining us to photograph and explore some of the most diverse desert landscapes out there.

We started off at our favorite go-to spot along the salt flats near Badwater to soak in all the salty patterns, big and small. This location is truly one of the park’s icons. As the sun shone brightly, as it would all weekend, we then retreated to take in the geological wonders of lower Golden Canyon ending with a view of Manly Beacon and the Red Cathedral. After lunch, we headed to the Mesquite dunes to take in the full range of light from the direct, low angle before sunset into the soft glow of twilight. Death Valley has some of the most accessible and photogenic dunes, and these certainly have their own character. From mud tiles to mesquite brush, animal tracks and amazing patterns, we saw it all.

Our second day, we started out on the salt flats to photograph the spring fed water ways in the early morning light. Then, it was off to the badlands at Zabriskie Point where we hit the trails to get some more intimate, less photographed scenes of this iconic part of the park. After lunch, it was out to the salt flats again to a favorite spot of ours where the patterns resemble Badwater, but have a bit more contrast with the mix of mud and salt. Following our post sunset dinner, we headed to Natural Bridge for some night photography and a little experiment in “modern day petroglyphs”. It kind of worked, but some more experimentation may be needed.

Our final morning, we visited Zabriskie Point to catch one last sunrise. Even on a mostly clear morning, the variety of light as it spills across the ridges and faces of the badlands is always a treat.