Life and Death

By on December 26, 2009 in Photos

Location: Death Valley, Death Valley Junction. Subject: landscape, desert, moving rocks, sunrise, architecture, ruins, road-side memorial.

I had the good fortune to join Keith Skelton and a few other photographers on a trip through Death Valley earlier this month. As a kid, an old mentor friend of mine had told me about the moving rocks on the so-called Devil’s Racetrack, and I had been wanting to see them ever since. For various reasons, I hadn’t made it until now.

We spent the better part of 4 1/4 days shooting everything in sight and driving, driving, driving to do more shooting.  Death Valley is one of the strangest places I’ve ever been to, and easily one of the most beautiful. It’s so dynamic that it feels as if the park is alive, constantly changing itself for the pleasure of its viewers.

I shot a lot of the locations pretty poorly, so my full trip isn’t represented here, unfortunately. I’m hoping to make another trip in the next year, so I’ll work on doing a better job. :)

As always, click the thumbnails for bigger versions. Descriptions/locations for each shot are visible at the bottom of each large version.

Moonset/sunrise, shot from Dante's View Sunrise from Dante's View Hiker at Mesquite Flats Dunes "Gladness and Sorry," Opera Doors, Death Valley Junction Moving rock at the Devil's Racetrack (racetrack playa) "The Last Supper," Rhyolite Ghost Town Abandoned building, Death Valley Junction "Creature," a.k.a. moving rock at the Devil's Racetrack (racetrack playa) "Circles Everywhere," Mesquite Flats Dunes "Ripples," Mesquite Flats Dunes Fellow shooters, Mesquite Flats Dunes Moving rock at the Devil's Racetrack (racetrack playa) "Time Travel," Long exposure of a car from Zabriskie Point Canyons, shot from Zabriskie Point Abandoned structure, Rhyolite Ghost Town Dying chair, Rhyolite Ghost Town "3303," Side of an abandoned railway car, Rhyolite Ghost Town "Running River," Mesquite Flats Dunes Abandoned structure, Rhyolite Ghost Town "David(a) and Goliath," a small human (foreground) vs the large beacon, shot from Zabriskie Point Old gas pump at Death Valley Junction Canyons, shot from Zabriskie Point The Badwater salt flats at sunrise, almost 300 feet below sea level Roadside memorial, in between Baker and Death Valley Junction

6 Responses to Life and Death

  1. Becky December 26, 2009 at 8:46 pm #

    These are pretty stinkin’ amazing! Makes me want to visit there myself, but I’m not sure I could see it as beautifully as your artistic eye. :)

  2. Lorie December 28, 2009 at 2:41 pm #

    Pics are very cool!!! The Last supper ghost one is SCARY and the Time travel one is CRAZY!!!

  3. Melissa December 29, 2009 at 1:32 pm #

    LOVE these! I wanna go!!!

  4. Melissa December 30, 2009 at 2:01 am #

    So I was just looking through these AGAIN to show Branden and now he’s dying to go there too. How far is Death Valley? Is it something that can be done in a day trip? Obviously not everything, but you know, distance-wise. These are so great! Ahhhh, I can’t stop looking.

  5. Kelly July 19, 2010 at 9:39 pm #

    That is so cool, I know quite a bit about moving rocks…prob more than I should…hahaha! Very cool, love the pics cuz!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Death Valley 2: Electric Boogaloo | JAKE REINIG - December 6, 2011

    […] to join Keith Skelton’s photography workshop there in March. I was introduced to the park a few years back at one of his excellent trips and can’t recommend it enough. It’s open to all skill […]

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