Death Valley and Desert

[lisa_c9]

<p>hi guys, im gonna be in death valley next week. its a 2 day/1 night side trip from vegas so i dont have a lot of time and want to plan what time i do have wisely. <br /><br />do you have any advise for locations and must have gear for this type of shooting? im thinkin of mesquite dunes for sunrise. but i also want to shoot badwater salt flats but i guess that would have to be sunset and night time.</p>

<p>thanks :)</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>Not dunes, but I would try to hit these, in addition to DV:</p>

<p>Red Rock Canyon, west of LV.<br /> Lake Mead area, east of LV.<br /> Joshua Tree National Park (don't know if you're going that far south)</p>

<p> </p>

[john_gleason3]

<p>Take a tripod, a hat and lots of water. Stay up very late and get up very early. The narrow canyons you can hike into can be good even in mid-day light. The sand dunes at Stovepipe Wells are very popular very early and at night (just keep an eye out for snakes on the sand if you get off the beaten path). There are thousands of interesting pictures to be had, so it depends on your preference and don't worry about trying to see everything (your trip is too short!). If you like the wide vista shots at sunset, be sure to turn around and look at the view to the east -- the colors on the eastern valley walls can be great! You may still be able to get some desert flower shots, too (ask where at the visitor center in Furnace Creek). Wear hiking shoes and clothes you won't mind getting dirty -- some of the best angles during the day may be while you are flat on the ground!</p>

 

[User_276104]

<p>Another close-to-Vegas area I'll add to Sarah's list is Valley of Fire State Park, about 40 miles north of LV. It could be part of a Lake Mead NRA loop if you choose.</p>

<p>It was featured in Star Trek Generations.</p>

<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gm_kawAj64</p>

[curt wiler]

<p>Mesquite dunes work well at sunrise or sunset; Badwater works best in early morning. I would do the dunes the first evening and start with Zabriskie Point at sunrise, then move quickly down to Badwater for the salt flats.</p>

[jim_service]

<p>+1 Zabriskie at sunrise.<br>

The dunes at stovepipe can be chancy.. If overnight winds do not erase the previous days footprints, your shots will suffer. Also, people a half mile away can sit on the perfect dune in your shot. If you go there and it's no good, it's too late to go anywhere else.<br>

Zabriskie has your highest %age of success if you've only got one morning. Give yourself plenty of time to get there. Distances are looong in Death Valley.<br>

After breakfast, try Artist Drive and then the first 3 or 4 miles of West Side Rd that takes off just to the west of Artist Drive.<br>

Pack a good lunch and cruise up to Scotty's Castle and Ubehebe Crater.<br>

From there, the most awesome thing you can do is to hitch a ride to The Racetrack.</p>

[jim_service]

<p>By the way, it will be about 105, but it's a dry heat. ;)</p>

[jcuknz]

 

<p><em>By the way, it will be about 105, but it's a dry heat. ;)</em><br>

That is why you need plenty of liquid, and some more ... some people run a 100 miles in it :-)</p>

 

[charles_stobbs3]

This website - http://www.desertusa.com/ - is a good starting point.

[greg_campbell1]

<p>Here's a good thread.<br>

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1105891/0?keyword=death#10554348</p>

[User_2000406]

<p>It's too much to do Death Valley plus those other locations in one trip. I's go to Death Valley *or* Joshua Tree, or else Valley of Fire plus the other locations near Las Vegas. Any one of these three would be a good weekend trip, and Death Valley National Park in particular could occupy a photographer for weeks.</p>

[dan_south]

<p>Zabriskie Point can yield lots of interesting compositions in one visit. Instead of standing beside all of the other photographers, wander around and see how many compositions you can find.</p>

<p>Bonus - after your morning shoot at Zabriskie you can hike through the badlands there. Just don't do it at peak light or you'll anger a lot of photographers. A foreign couple sent their teenager out into the badlands to pose one morning while I was shooting there. I'm sure that they all had a good time, but I had to edit the kid and his bright red jacket out of a number of otherwise excellent shots.</p>

<p>The Mesquite dunes look flat without sun and shadows, but that's hazardous hiking in hot weather. Carry as much water as humanly possible. Two gallons per person would be my recommendation. I'm not kidding. And as someone mentioned, snakes are a definite hazard. They lurk in the shade under bushes.</p>

<p>Footprints on the dunes are a big problem. The entire excursion could be wasted. Hope for wind and light foot traffic.</p>

<p>Twenty Mule Team Canyon (near Furnace Creek) is a nice (albeit dusty) drive with views similar to Zabriskie Point. Mosaic Canyon (near Stovepipe Wells) is a beautiful short hike.</p>

<p>The Devil's Golf Course is worth a quick stop.</p>

<p>Badwater is great...but...you'll have to hike out quite a way to find salt that hasn't been crushed by the feet of thoughtless tourists. Again - you'll need LOTS of water plus sunglasses to shield your eyes from the glare of the sun reflecting off of the salt. Great first thing in the morning.</p>

<p>Dante's Peak - It's usually too hazy up there for a good shot, but at least it will be a little cooler for activity.</p>

<p>The outfit that rents 4-wheel drive vehicles in the park shuts down entirely during the hotter months - for good reason. If you get stranded in that heat you're in big trouble, and no one is going to risk their life to come looking for you. No one.</p>