Josh Andrews Photography

Journal

A Week in Death Valley

May 24 2008

I spent a week photographing in Death Valley National Park last month and got to explore much of what it has to offer (except for the Race Track, that is — maybe next time with a 4×4!). Traveling with fellow nature photographer Joe Decker, we got to a few less-traveled locations, such as the Eureka Dunes and Bonnie Claire Flat (which is technically just outside the Park’s eastern boundary). One of the things I was most amazed by (other than pre-Spring scorching temperatures) was how difficult it was to judge distances. Looking straight across the valley through the occasional mirage (I was pleased to be in a vehicle with plenty of water during those times), what looked like a short 2 or 3 miles turned out to be a much longer 10 or 12. Luckily I had a week to explore.

Badwater

We spent time photographing in Badwater, the lowest place in the Western Hemisphere. At 282 feet below sea level, the Badwater salt pan is covered with polygons of salt crystals created from the expansion of salt flats. The vantage point from Dante’s View, about a mile directly above Badwater, really gives one a better sense of just how enormous this place is. The salt pan stretches for miles, and looks like a sea of white from across the valley.

Abstract Texture Studies

Being my first visit to the Park, Death Valley’s sand dunes were high on my list (which probably came from staring at that Ansel Adams photograph of the Mesquite Dunes I had on my wall growing up). Abstract images of nature are by far the most compelling to me, whether I am looking at those taken by others or doing my own work. While I love the more traditional forms of landscape photography, images with a more abstract quality leave more to the imagination, and let a photographer pick out often simple, elemental components of a subject and present them in the manner that moves them the most.  That’s what Death Valley’s sand dunes did for me. Spending multiple sunrises and sunsets at the Mesquite and Eureka Dunes, I got a good opportunity to study how the light played with the sand, creating and deepening ever-changing textures and shadows. Some of the smallest details turned out to be amazing subjects, such as the texture studies below. A drive down West Valley Road also took us to what looked at first sight to be some fairly unremarkable mud flats in bright midday sun. A closer inspection brought out some interesting detail in the cracked and caked mud.

Mesquite Dunes - Before Sunrise

The Mesquite Dunes at Stovepipe Wells are remarkable at virtually any time of day. Just a mile or two off Highway 190, these dunes are easily accessible (particularly compared to the Eureka Dunes several hours to the North and pictured further below). While my first temptation was to hike to the top, an even better perspective (at least photographically speaking) can be at some of the lower angles. From there you can see the shadows emerge on the dunes as the sun makes its way across the valley floor. And for about 15 minutes before the valley sunrise, the dunes were a subtle pink and blue, with a coolness and tranquility that was a nice contrast (no pun intended) to the sharp and refined shadows that the sun brings only minutes later.

The Eureka Dunes

As I mentioned, the Eureka Dunes are quite a ways from the action, which actually made it that much more satisfying to actually reach them. A five hour drive West out of the Park, up Highway 395 and back in through the Park’s North entrance, these dunes are some of the tallest in the United States at nearly 700 feet. Tucked into the back corner of the Eureka Valley, they are immense even when you first see them 20 or so miles in the distance. Shooting them late in the day until after sunset, those sharp and refined shadows brought out some amazing texture and detail in these massive dunes. Here are just a few images, and you can take a look at more in my Death Valley portfolio.