death valley

Death Valley National Park
Land of Extreme Diversity
Group Leader - Richard Buchbinder
March 11-15, 2009
8 Participants

Death Valley National Park is one of my favorite photography locations, and I spent a week there recently, shooting, hiking and generally enjoying the area. I made some photos 282 feet below sea level at Badwater, and awoke one morning to see a light snow cover on 11,000 foot Telescope Peak. The changing shadows and textures of the Death Valley Sand Dunes in late afternoon and early morning were continuously offering new images to capture. Walking through Golden Canyon one morning, I turned into a side canyon to find myself in a slot canyon with light reflecting off the striking golden rock walls. A few steps further along I was able to compose the walls of the canyon in the foreground and the immense valley floor in the distance. Working another morning in the Devil’s Golf Course, the bizarre ground formations were a fascinating study in light, line and form. Later that day, the warm afternoon light added a glow to the antique wooden and metallic mining equipment and structures of the Keanes Wonder Mine. Of course, the sunrise icon of Death Valley is the Zabriskie Point view of the golden hues and rock striations of Manly Beacon standing above the surrounding rock hills and canyons. In stark contrast to all the dry landscapes and canyons, Darwin Falls at the end of a 1 mile or so hike over flat terrain is a happy and beautiful surprise.

The workshop will provide an opportunity to apply your compositional skills to some very unusual landscapes and natural formations. In addition, we will find compositions in decaying old buildings and some of Death Valley’s long abandoned mining operations.

Death Valley National Park offers an amazing variety of natural forms. At over three million acres, this vast area is the largest national park in the lower 48 states, and includes the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level near Badwater, as well as Telescope Peak at an elevation of 11,049 feet. The desert landscape displays stark colorful rock formations and several areas of sand dunes. The shadows and textures of the ever changing sand dunes will provide endless opportunities to express your creativity. We will photograph the multi colored rock and hillsides at Zabriske Point and Artist’s Palette. The Panamint Range and the often snow capped Telescope Peak will serve as a backdrop for our desert flora and desert floor compositions. Following a wet winter, the desert landscape will be awash in colorful blossoms at the time of our visit. At 5,475 feet, Dante’s View gives us a wonderful vista over Death Valley, with Badwater and the barren salt flats lying below, and the Panamint Range across the valley. On a clear day, you can see the snow capped Sierra Nevada peaks. Mystery will also be part of our visit to the park while we photograph the strange moving rocks of the “Racetrack” and speculate on the cause of their movement. The area is also home to several photogenic man made features from the deserted Charcoal Kilns to abandoned mines, ghost towns and the exotic Scotty’s Castle. The unusual, diverse terrain and interesting history of Death Valley make it a true paradise for nature photographers. I hope you will join us for a few days of photography and fun.

Fees: $945 (van transportation while at the workshop - limited to first six requests - can be added for an additional $125, and pickup at the airport on Mar 10 at 3 p.m. and drop off at the airport on Mar15 by 2 p.m. can be added for an additional $75 - please see airport transportation guidelines). We will coordinate the sharing of rental cars if requested, for those who do not take the van transportation.
Estimated lodging: Approx $147 for single, $73.50 double per night
Airport for pickup: Las Vegas, NV
Hiking Rating - Moderate, some walking on sand dunes.
Minimum number of participants - 1; maximum participants - 8.