I visited Death Valley National Park in mid-March and the temperatures exceeded 90 degrees! At 282 feet below sea level, it has the lowest elevation in North America and is the hottest and driest US National Park.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to visit this place in summer when the temperatures reach 120 degrees! No wonder it’s called Death Valley.
At first it seemed like there was nothing here but dirt, salt, sand and lots of heat. But as I started exploring the different sections of the park I realized how diverse it really is. I can’t think of another place that has dry lake beds, sand dunes, and colourful rock formations all in close proximity.
There is a flat salt bed that covers a large section of the park, created when the lake that was once here evaporated and left behind mineral deposits that eventually became a coating of lumpy salt. Occasional rainfall smoothes out the salt into a flat bed.
But the section known as Devils Golf Course rarely receives any rainfall and so the salt crystals continue to grow and form pinnacles that are now about 3 feet deep.
Please click the images to view larger versions.
You can even hear it happening. While I was making these images I could hear the popping and cracking of salt crystals bursting apart as they expand and contract.
It was named Devils Golf Course after a 1930’s guidebook that said only the Devil could play golf on its surface. Since it’s named “Devils” and not “Devil’s” I guess they are expecting more than one player!
I made these images by using a wide-angle lens and positioning my camera close to the ground to highlight the impossibly difficult terrain. It can be incredibly bright here during the afternoon, so I waited until the sun was setting behind the nearby mountains so there was softer light.
As always, you capture such beauty in places few people ever see, and certainly not with your great perspective and fantastic photographic skills! I Love you photos!
Thank you so much Shari, that is very kind!
Hi Anne, great photos. I am just curious about what settings your camera was on for these pics? How long was the exposure times. Are there any bits of wisdom u can impart on those wanting to learn how to take similar shots.
Hi Maurizio, the image with the sunburst was 1/4 second at f/22. I used f/22 to create the sunburst effect. The other image is 1/6 second at f/11. The best piece of wisdom I can give it to always watch the light and photograph only when there is good light. There’s no point in trying to make an image here in the middle of the afternoon on a clear sky day. Thanks for your visit and comments!
Stunning images Anne. The light is just beautiful.
Your comments are much appreciated Edith!
Death Valley my favorite place for photography and the best time to visit is December when there are fewer visitors.
Tourists, mostly European like to visit in the summer so they can stand next to the thermometer in Furnace Creek and have there photograph taken.
I hope I get the chance to meet you in Death Valley next year.
Hi Allan, it would be great to meet up and go on a Death Valley photo shoot next winter! December sounds like a great time to be there.
Very nice take on this iconic spot Anne. You’re right, even March can get unbearably hot in Death Valley. I have no idea how or why people would want to visit in the summer!
Thank you very much Russ, I appreciate that! I don’t know why anyone would go near the place in summer!!! I was overheating in March!
What a strange and incredible place! Great photos. And it looks like it must have been quite a feat of acrobatics simply to walk across this landscape and position yourself and your camera on it!
Hey Laurie, it was! It was hard to find just the right place to step and my tripod was all wonky with one short leg and one long leg trying to get it to fit where I wanted it. It was such an interesting place to be.
Beautiful shots, Anne!!
Thank you very much Fred!
We visited Death Valley in Feb. 2012….amazing place. The weather was a comfortable 70+ degrees. Your shots are beautiful. I had trouble capturing this unique place. Hopefully our stay next time will be longer and I can try to shoot at different times of the day.
Thank you for your comments Ingrid. I found it to be very bright during the day. I think you might have better luck on the edges of the day. I hope you get a chance to go again when it isn’t soooo hot!
Great shots Anne. We drove through here in summer about 20years ago – and it was hot hot hot! Don’t recall seeing this element, but the dunes were amazing.
Hi Andy, thank you for your comments. The dunes were pretty amazing, I’ll some images of those coming up soon. Although we had just been to Imperial Sand Dunes south of Palm Springs and those are incredible!
Treacherous, hot, dry, but incredible – I can feel the heat, taste the salt – love these photos.
Thank you so much Maria. I actually did taste the salt! It tasted like dirty salt 🙂
Incredible photos of a place seldom seen Anne. Beautiful!
Thank you very much Joe. I don’t know why more photographers don’t stop at the Devil’s Golf Course! I have seen many images of the salt flats and the dunes, but not many from here.