Sandstorm, Mesquite Flat Dunes, Death Valley NP, CA, USA
We tend to think of deserts as barren and desolate, but most deserts are actually full of vegetation. The plants may be widely spaced, but they’re abundant. Some desert areas, like Saguaro National Park, and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (both in Arizona), seem almost lush.
In Death Valley, however, there are miles and miles of bare, naked earth, without a scrap of vegetation. It’s austere, yet beautiful in its simplicity. The earth is laid out in plain sight, without any plants to obscure its colors, folds, and textures.
Claudia and I just returned home after spending almost two weeks in Death Valley. We did a workshop focused on night photography, but I had time to make some daytime images as well. Here are a few examples showing the textures of all that naked earth.
— Michael Frye
Mud cracks, Death Valley NP, CA, USA
Pools in a salt flat, Death Valley NP, CA, USA
Sand curves, Death Valley NP, CA, USA
Dune forms, Death Valley NP, CA, USA
Rolling dunes, Death Valley NP, CA, USA
Badlands and a distant sandstorm, Death Valley NP, CA, USA
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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.
Nice photographs, Michael. I especially like the “blue dunes.”
Sorry we missed you last week, but good to hear that you had a successful trip.
Dan
Thanks Dan – sorry we missed you and Patty too!
Lovely images, Michael, thanks. The sand curve and dune images are really extraordinary, such beautiful colors and textures! Cheers.
Thanks so much Bob!
Excellent as always, Michael! My fav is “Rolling dunes, Death Valley NP, CA, USA.”
Thanks so much Bill! Hope you get a chance to go to DV soon.
Sounds good. It’s been a while. Lewis, Jeff and I used to do workshops there starting in 1981! And took the family camping during our winter school break…
Yeah, I remember when you used to do those workshops. I bet there weren’t nearly as many workshop groups in DV in those days!
Some of the best work I’ve seen from you. The whipped cream Rolling Dunes is also my favorite. As always, thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much John – especially for that “whipped cream” description!
Mike,
Thanks a lot for your telling us all what you have done. Your detailed information teaches us a lot.
We looked into your Carrizo photos in April 2017 so that we practiced this year. Try to go there again this weekend.
By the way, could you tell us when is the best time for the dogwood this year? We followed your information last year and went to Wawona Meadow Loop to catch the last of the flower. Worked.
Best Regards,
You’re welcome William. The dogwoods in Yosemite Valley typically bloom around the end of April to beginning of May. It’s too early to tell you anything more specific than that about this year.
Sorry. It was Tuolumne Grove with that big tunnel in a giant tree.
Mike,
Thanks a lot!
Dang, the Sandstorm image is fantastic!!! Really beautiful!
Thanks so much Jeff!