The most absurdly lucky shots of my life: Death Valley B&W

Mjollnir

Just went to Death Valley this weekend, for a 48 hour, whirlwind trip. Also just got my first, ever, red filter for B&W shots, a Tiffen #29 red, to go over a very dirty (and soon to be replaced) circular polarizer.

So, then:

Very possibly the most astoundingly lucky thing I've ever shot.

Zabriske Point, Death Valley. Just after mid day. Light so unbelievably, insanely bright, I couldn't see my viewfinder.

I saw a runner, out in the middle of effing NOWHERE, running down a ridge, going to nowhere. Headed down from on high to what's known as The Golden Valley. I had no idea if I could capture the pic, but put my hands around my forehead and my EVF and hoped it would turn out well.



Badwater Basin. Famous. Shot so often that I didn't know how to get something interesting. Big name talent making extraordinary shots of places in the basin I don't know yet.

So I got what amounts to the isolation of other photographers trying to capture what my little light sensor couldn't.



Sunset creeping in, taken from the same place as above, somewhat later, looking NE from waaaay out in the salt pan.



The Mesquite Dunes, shot rather too late in the morning, groups of photographers everywhere, and I mean everywhere, except when one walks a good 2 miles straight out into the middle of the dunes. Footprints from earlier days, animal tracks, gorgeous nevertheless.



One from the middle of the Mesquite Dunes, where no one had stepped for a few days. Dead trees, coming out of the sand.



Thanks for looking, folks, I am humbled by the massive, truly massive nature of Death Valley and it's immediate surroundings.

Huge beyond huge, and I thought I'd been everywhere worth seeing in CA.

Newp.

Oh, yeah: one in color, as well.

PaulieC

Great shots. Death Valley is a wonderful, scary place, especially Zabriskie Point

mehfesto

Took me an AGE to realise the runner.
Read the post last night and I thought you'd forgotten to embed the right picture!

Really adds a dimension of awesome scale to the image. Great pics!

baby and crumble

Wow, those are really great. I love B&W landscapes, they bring out a whole new dimension.

Really class.

lovelyhurler

Wow!
Really great shots. Well done.

PopeBuckfastXVI

Amazing pictures! Especially the 'runner'!

Speaking of zabriskie point...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJsW6ta4X8o

Mjollnir

Thanks, one and all, glad you like them.

I'm lucky in that I live about 4 hours from DV, and I recommend that if anyone gets a chance to go there that they GO THERE.

I'm a native Californian, and have been all over the state, but had always actually avoided DV because I'm not a huge fan of the desert in the first place, having seen what's known as California 'high desert' and assuming DV was that as well.

It's not. It's huge, extreme and utterly and totally rewarding. The possibilities it offers are as great as Yosemite and the Eastern Sierras, and the variety of landscapes (and oft times difficulty of travel to said landscapes) are vast beyond what I had erroneously thought.

That, and there's a cool, ass-end-of-nowhere factor and a feeling of total isolation.

It's just become a top destination for me, and I'll be back in two weeks again.

pearljamfan

i really like the colour shot! id straighten the horizon tho

Topper Harley01

Nice shots! Very Ansel Adams...

Mjollnir

pearljamfan wrote: »

i really like the colour shot! id straighten the horizon tho

Oops!

How's this?