The annual Landscape Special issue of Outdoor Photographer is out, with a featured shot of the Mesquite Dunes of Death Valley by yours truly.
Outdoor Photographer’s annual landscape special has just come out, with a cover shot front and center by yours truly. It was great to see my shot featured on the cover of this premier national photography magazine, on what is traditionally their best selling issue of the year. To have my photo appear along side those from masters such as Frans Lanting and James Kay is an honor.
The Mesquite Dunes stretch across the valley just north of Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park
I took this shot of the Mesquite Dunes just before sunset in the spring of 2012. I was drawn to this composition by the intensity of the sand patterns. Since they were the real story in this shot, I emphasized the foreground to allow the pattern to take up about 5/6 of the frame. However, I wanted to give it some context, so instead of creating a sand wave abstract, I included the horizon line with the dunes and mountains beyond.
I just spent a week in Death Valley National Park attending a workshop with landscape photographer Jack Dykinga. It was an amazing week catching up with old friends, doing a ton of field work, and trying to soak in Jack’s incredible talent whenever possible. One of my favorite places to shoot was the sand dunes of Mesquite Flat, just north of Stovepipe Wells.
Wind and weather carve the Mesquite Dunes into endless shapes and textures, Death Valley National Park
The dunes provided an amazing array of shapes and pattern with which to craft photographs. It was a place that really clicked for me, and it was a joy to shoot. An hour or two before sunset, the sun was still high enough to provide strong shadows and side lighting.
Death Valley’s Mesquite Dunes are a study of form and lines
As we got closer to sunset, the dunes and mountains to the east began to reflect that sweet magic hour light. Using a longer lens to stack the dunes against the mountains helps to give the viewer a sense of place.
Mountains rise beyond the sand dunes of Mesquite Flat, Death Valley National Park
My favorite time of day to shoot however, was after the sun had set. The light across the dunes evened out, filling in the shadows and giving the dune contours a milky softness.
As the sun sets, the soft light give the sand dunes a buttery feel, Death Valley National Park
Black and white photos still worked well in this light. Instead of cranking up the contrast to show those sharp lines, the key here was to keep it soft and lower contrast. I tried to find compositions that allowed the eye to move easily up into the frame, flowing through the dunes.
Soft light across the dunes adds a milky texture to the wind carved lines, Death Valley National Park
As I had never spent much time photographing sand dunes before, I was thrilled with the experience. It is definitely a subject that offers endless variety and continual learning. These are my favorite kinds of photographic subjects – challenging and varied, forcing me to adapt and grow.
If you are serious about your photography and want to learn from one of the masters, I highly recommend putting Jack on your short list of workshop instructors.
