Cliff Zenor and I, along with five intrepid souls, had a wonderful time exploring and photographing Death Valley. It is a fantastic place for graphic landscapes, abstracts, big skies and varying color. And in the winter, it sure was a lot warmer and drier than northwest Washington.

We spent time on the sand dunes, Devil’s Golf Course, Salt Creek, Badwater and more. We even managed a night shoot.

The hikes weren’t really strenuous in the respect of going uphill, but they the uneven (and often not that solid) ground, made for some tiring walks. Especially walking into and out of the dunes area.

My favorite locations was the backside of the Mesquite Flat Dunes, where fewer people venture. We would arrive about 3 in the afternoon (sunset was at 5:30) and wander around watching the how the shadows on the dunes changed as the sun went down. The graphic possibilities are endless. And when the sun goes down, the dunes change color and whole new world of softer light and texture is revealed.

One of my other favorites spots was a mudflat near the dunes. Just some fantastic patterns in the dried mud, from polygon cracks to circular heaps to slate-like “stepping stones” to cube shaped rocks. The late light comes and goes so fast that you really only have one chance at a composition that uses that late light, but finding a composition and waiting for the light is what it’s all about. That spot, along with the dunes, are two places I’d visit again and again. And the mud cracks place had the advantage of being a short walk back to the car and close to the motel.

I really enjoyed photographing Death Valley, it had been too long since my last visit and I hope to go again in the not too distant future.