Down-size my Death Valley Trip?

[Bruce Watson]

I was planning on being in Death Valley 5 full days, Feb. 7 - Feb. 11 (leaving Feb. 12). After reading about possible (likely?) road restrictions, I'm wondering if I shouldn't cut back to just 3 days in DV and maybe go to Souther climes (Anza Borrego?)

Really, when you do this kind of work (landscape photography) you have to take the weather as it comes. Make the most of the weather / light that you have. If it's possible to do the full time in Death Valley, do it. If not, you should have a Plan B. For me in that part of the US in February, Plan B would be Joshua Tree NP. Plan C would be Sedona AZ. Plan D would be the parks in southern AZ, especially Organ Pipe.

But it's all good. If you want it to be.

[Jeffrey Sipress]

I'm in death valley right now, camping up Trail Canyon, off the West Side rd. I'm picking up the new cell site here on my iPad. Manley Lake, which covers the salt flats at Badwater, is huge at the moment. I'll be shooting sunrise there again tomorrow.

Generally, DV is not an easy place to make meaningful images. Its huge and weather plays an even bigger role in creating photo conditions. The icons are still worth seeing, but you often find you want a lens with 180 degrees of view! It usually takes a day or two to adjust your senses to the vastness, and begin to see intimate scenes among the vast stretches of gravel, rocks, and aggregate washes. Fortunately there are many many locations here worth exploring. I'll check in again when I find a connection.

[Kevin Crisp]

But it looks [I]different[I] when it is hellish, don't you think?

[Curt]

I have a buddy who spends a month or two each year in DV and finds plenty to shoot.

Having been there a fair number of times myself I can't imagine not being able to fill 5 days.

Also summer is hellish.

When it's good it's very good, but when it's hot it's not.

The longer you stay in a place more you start to see. The weather changes and it takes time to notice the subtle details. Trying too see too many places can be unrewarding photographically speaking. It's good to explore for a return visit though.

[Richard K.]

Great advice from everybody, thank you!

[Mark Barendt]

But it looks [I]different[I] when it is hellish, don't you think?

Mirages , overheated cars , and heat stroke ; does tend to make things look "different".

[Fred L]

Sounds like a trip I should take when I can make the time. Would be great if you can post a TR when yer back and have some downtime.


cheers,

Fred

[Sirius Glass]

The icons are still worth seeing, but you often find you want a lens with 180 degrees of view!

I have often thought that a 360º FOV would be better!

Steve

[Kevin Crisp]

The things that always amaze me about Death Valley in July/August are:

1. All the new unreleased cars and trucks you can see being hot weather tested by the manufacturers. They love running them up that endless hill from Stove Pipe Wells heading West to Panamint Valley. I suppose heat like that with a climb like that can't be found anywhere else.

2. Sometimes car windows get so hot they won't go up and down.

3. How you can drink lots of water and never discharge any.

4. How the coyotes will come and watch you when you stop by the side of the road to do anything, especially changing a flat tire. They are patiently waiting for you to keel over so they can make their move.

5. How you can take a fresh lunch sandwich out of a plastic bag and have the bread feel like a piece of toast within 5 minutes. See No. 3; the heat and dryness are doing the same thing to you.

6. How you can be in the most obscure places in the park and find your solitude interrupted by a big air conditioned bus discharging Germans, French, Danes or Swedes.

7. The unprepared people I come across that would be serious trouble if somebody didn't come along to give them water, or 5 gallons of gas.