Death Valley National Park, March 2012

Claudia and I took a whirlwind trip to Death Valley National Park in celebration of our recent wedding anniversary. It was quite a place! The scenery was pretty unique, and the weather was warm (in the 80's during the day). The shooting was challenging with the scale of the park and trying to hit places right at the best light. We also were unable to visit the Racetrack as our rental car was not up to the task (long story). But all in all a fun trip - I hope we can go back someday!

Light and Shadow
Afternoon light accentuates the undulating contours of one of the many gullies at Zabriskie Point.
Dante's At End Of Day
We got up to Dante's View a little later than we planned, but there was still some gorgeous light along the horizon. The bright sky served to underscore how desolate the landscape looked.
Enjoying the Warm Weather
Claudia is catching some rays in the warm desert climate - a welcome change from the late winter in CO.
Zabriskie Morning
ot to Zabriskie Point before sunrise, and then watched the place fill up with photographers! Not any good clouds and a difficult dynamic range made this a tough subject. I took lots of shots but this one right before the sun hits Manly Beacon is my favorite.

Mesquite Dunes Close-Up
After an exhausting walk out to the dunes to catch sunrise, the clouds blocked the direct sun. There was still some very subtle coloring coming form the sky that reflected on the dunes as the sun struggled to break through.
Photographer At Work
Claudia lines up her shot of an arch in the Alabama Hills, outside of Lone Pine in the Alabama Hills, a very unique landscape.
Father Crowley Point
We reached the Father Crowley Point Overlook coming back into the park form the Alabama Hills just as the sun was setting. I took a series of bracketed shots to produce this HDR panorama of the view. The wind was very strong and shooting handheld it was hard to hold still while clicking the shutter!