When it comes to icons, Death Valley is at the top of my personal favorites list. One of the hardest things to photograph in Death Valley, at least for me, is the view from Dantes Peak. The most popular view point overlooking Death Valley, the amount of information meeting the eye can be overwhelming to say the least. Between the patterns of the aluvial fans spreading like long fingers into the Badwater Basin, the many saltflats of different shapes and sizes, all the colors created by the different salts and minerals, the mountains decending into the valley from all sides, one feels as if looking down on a scene from a different planet. If you look in the lower left of the image, you can see a two lane paved road, giving a sense of scale to these incredible designs covering the basins floor. I hope this scene conveys at least a little bit of this incredible place!
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Technical Details
1/10sec, f/16, ISO100, 120mm
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I really need to make my next trip one to Death Valley. I see so many awesome images from there. And this one’s awesome. It has a very abstract feel to it, while also conveying the sense of place. Congrats!
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Thank you, David; glad you like the image. And yes, you really need to make your next photography trip to DV. I have been lucky to travel a bit, but if I had to choose just one place in the world to photograph, DV would be at the very top of the list. Give yourself a few days though; this place can be overwhelming to the senses, specially the first time around.
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Thank you. I will plan on it and reach out to the wonderful folks on this site to help me plan an itinerary.
To me, the most important thing would be plenty of time. This is an incredible place, and if you have the opportunity, it might be worth just taking it all in for a day or two to get a feel for it, before attempting to photograph it.
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Really an amazing image. I’ve come back to this a few times already. The muted colors are just sublime. I’m with @David_Bostock --this works great as an abstract, and on one of my views of the image pareidolia kicked in. I couldn’t help but notice a resemblance to a dolphin surfacing through the waves. At any rate, one thing I’d consider is a gentle vignette of some sort in the upper left. That area seems a little brighter and tends to lead me away from the most interesting parts of the image. Just a nit, as I’ve really enjoyed this one!
Thank you, Jack. Now I can’t UN-see the dolphin; LOL. You are right, it really looks like one. As for the vignette, thank you. I applied a very slight vignette, and it made a difference. It had to be very subtle, as even just a little too strong of a vignette made the salt flats look muddy.
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Fritz (Do you prefer J Fritz?),
Wow, what a mind-bender this one is! Thank goodness there was a little explanation and finally being able to pick out the little slice or roadway, and I can get my bearings.
Simply great vision with this and use of the medium telephoto to isolate this scene out of the much bigger view. One thing that really helps in the mystery is the sharp detail front to back. In other words, a soft lower right corner (LRC) might have given a clue as to the depth, but with everything in focus it looks to me like everything is in the same plane, which gave me trouble figuring out the different primary elements.
Anyway, I have no nitpicks or suggestions. Fantastic an natural abstract image from DV. Kudos.
Lon
Hello, Lon! (Fritz is great; long story on the J Fritz. I went ahead and changed that in my profile here) Thank you for your kind words. I actually focus stacked the image; your comment on a softer LLC gave me food for thought, and I will play with that, just to see the result.
Perhaps subconsciously I wanted everything in focus, since it is more of an abstract. The patterns all around were almost overwhelming, and this composition seemed to tie all those patterns, shapes colors and lines together. Not sure that makes sense. Glad you liked the image.
Wow! This is amazing, Fritz! It looks like the shore of the ocean. Reading your description and conversations with everyone makes me really want to go there someday. You’ve really captured it beautifully and in an abstract way. Great work!
Glad you enjoyed the image, Vanessa. We all have different interests, as far as photography, but to me personally, Death Valley is the most fascinating place to not only photograph, but explore. Give yourself ample time, though. It is a huge place that can be overwhelming to say the very least , specially on the first visit. 
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