Well another field photography workshop is in the bag. Our Death Valley and the Alabama Hills adventure was a success!
My partner, J. Gunther and I arrived a day early to scout our favorite spots only to find Death Valley in the grips of a massive dust and sand storm! Zero visibility and winds in excess of 65 Mph greeted us as we wound our way down the road into Stovepipe Wells. Our hotel room had a sand dune inside almost as big as the ones outside! Needless to say, not much scouting took place that afternoon! After making some hasty "Plan B" arrangements, we settled in for a night of banging, creaking and power outages as the wind continued outside.
Luckily, the next morning was a bit clearer although there was still quite a bit of dust and wind in the area. Our clients arrived that afternoon and we were off to explore Mosaic Canyon before heading into the sand dunes for the moonrise just after sunset. Thursday morning found us at the lowest point in the continental United States, Badwater which is almost 300' below sea level. This ancient basin was once part of the Pacific Ocean and still contains huge salt deposits which dry into a unique polygon shapes. Afterwards we explored Zabriski Point and then headed out to "The Racetrack" where rocks mysteriously move on a dry lake bed. There we all enjoyed a tailgate BBQ and a beverage or two. After sunset, we hit the road for the long haul out of Death Valley and over to Lone Pine, California at the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada near Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48!
The next morning, we explored the Alabama Hills below Whitney during the magical pre-dawn light and watched the full moon set over the crest. We explored and photographed arches and other unique rock features before heading back to town for the best breakfast around at the Alabama Hills Cafe! No one left hungry after we devoured our hearty meals! After a quick shower, we went back out and explored some more before bidding everyone farewell around 1pm.
A great time was had by all and lot's of memory cards were filled with outstanding images! Here are some that I came away with...
Interesting salt deposits at Badwater...
Zabriski Point and a lesson on erosion...
Patterns in the dunes...
Our workshop group at Ubehebe Crater...
The full moon rises above the dust and dunes...
Our workshop group at Teakettle Junction in the middle of nowhere!
Moving rocks at "The Racetrack"...
Moonset over Mt. Whitney in the pre-dawn light...
Lone Pine Peak and Mt. Whitney bask in the first light of sunrise...
Lone Pine Peak and Mt. Whitney as seen though Mobius Arch in the Alabama Hills...
A big thanks to all our guests for understanding that Mother Nature sometimes does not wish to cooperate with our best laid plans. Have faith that John and I will come up with something to keep us all entertained! Also, Jerry and Rob, thanks for offering up your SUV's for carpooling to hell and back even when gasoline prices topped $5 a gallon! We can't wait to see everyone's shots...
So - do
YOU want to join us on a future photographic adventure? Keep an eye out here for the latest announcements.
Next up - Redwoods National Park in late May!
