Death Valley & Alabama Hills

Considering the big snow storm forecasted to hit Northern Arizona during the Christmas holidays, I decided it would be a great opportunity to checkout Death Valley National Park in CA. So I packed up my car with everything I would need for 10 days (including a make shift bed), and headed west for the desert. My timing seemed appropriated, Flagstaff received three and a half feet of snow and Death Valley was partly cloudy, which would mean fabulousl skies!

The first evening I headed to Badwater, 280' feet below sea level - heres what I saw! For my first time photographing Death Valley, this seemed like a pretty good start to the trip.



Nikon D3, 24-70 f2.8

Next morning on my iconography tour of Death Valley I was off to Zabriskie Point. Again the skies went off!




Nikon D3, 24-70 f2.8


Later that same day I visited the Mesquite Dunes. Unfortunately the skies started to clear, which made for nice day time temps in the high 60's, but made capturing sweet images considerably more challenging. This was my first really shot at dune photography, and it became quickly apparent it would all be about lines, textures and shadows. Here is what I came away with.




Nikon D3, 24-70 f2.8

After three days in Death Valley, I decided to head further west to Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills. I had seen great images of this place but one particular structure really intrigued me - Mobius Arch. I had seen plenty of great shots of Lone Pine through the arch (which I would also capture), but I was looking to capture something I had personally not seen - but knowing full well someone had captured a similar composition - I have just not seen it.

I am always partial to expansive vistas that really capture the fuller essence of the place, so this is what I tried to capture here. And in fact I also composed a 4 image panorama of this same scene, which will eventually be posted on my website.




Nikon D3, 24-70 f2.8

This final image is of Whitney Portal arch, captured on a fine crisp morning with wonderful skies.




Nikon D3, 17-35 f2.8

I will not have a chance to post these images to my website until Jan. 20 as I am off on the road again. My next images may come as a bit of a surprize......so stay tuned!

Have a great new year,

Shane