Best Death Valley photographer?

[Bill Burk]

Hyper-color generally means someone never photographed a place at all. They invented a
fictitious scene, typically with Fauxtoshop. Other than strong dawn or sunset light, Death
Valley is a remarkably difficult place to find a color film for. Many of those rare mineral colors are extremely difficult to reproduce. I know of hidden places in Death Valley where
the hues of the rocks are almost unbelievable, but which seem to evade every color film
out there. Doesn't mean you won't bag some really wonderful color shots in the place,
of course. But there is a reason why most of the classic work has been done in b&w.

I'm with you with what I prefer. But sky blue, rock red can be enhanced to give a rich color scene without being fictitious.

I'd do it in black and white. Dry and dusty with subtle slowly-decaying human artifacts (remains if possible but that isn't the point - the point is to tell the story of someone who tried to make it, or someone who lived a life)...

I used to worry how to get in and out without dying... my cars weren't that reliable when I was younger.

I think it would be most appropriate to work the desert when it is at the extreme dry and hot, and with mirages. But no water, that just doesn't feel right to me (no water on the ground, of course I'd bring many gallons of drinking water).

[Drew Wiley]

In my esp foolish youthful days I've certainly been broken down many,many, many miles
from a paved road. I can remember crossing the DV salt pan on foot by moonlite. Then there was the time I actually tried to climb Manly Beacon from the base up. That was sure
nuts. Wonderful place, but with my lack of heat conditioning at this stage of life, I wonder
just how much of that backcountry I've ever visit again, if any. Sure hell on gear when the
wind kicks up, however. Clay and salt get into everything.

[Stockimage]

This nice death valley photographer, I like it..

[Curt]

These and the above images are just scans of my older 16x20 silver gelatin prints from 4x5 negatives...non of my more recent 8x10 work )pt/pd and carbon).

Pretty darn nice work Vaughn!