Landscape Near The Entrance

Death Valley Theatrical Images is my photo paean to the wonderful work of Sam Krisch. Sam recently posted some images of Death Valley that reminded me of just how stark and wondrous the place is and that I should go back to my photos and see where the muse may lead me in editing them. Death Valley was our point of entry to California in September and it greeted us with 109 degree temps on what the park rangers considered a cooler day. The detail of these images is best at full-screen so feel free to click each to see them.

The elevation changes in Death Valley allow one to experience the textures of sun, salt, and sand and their many colors. I love the contrasts between the desert grass and the shifting blues in the sky. This is how memories feel when I recall them and when I dream about them.

The temperature pushing 110 F made reaching these mountains of marbled bacon impossible for these weary travelers. The sand dunes hold much more life than one might imagine yet they don't call it death valley for nothing.

The area known as Dante's Peak is the highest viewing point in the park. I think of Dante walking with Virgil through the stages of hell and I think of the vast color palette he must have witnessed as he saw each suffering element. Hellish though it may be, I find Death Valley is stunning.

Juliet grabbed this parting image of the valley and the striations in the rock. The oil from the road blotching the window gives this image its rainbow effect. I am happy working on these images. I am happy with the world and the way in which we can view it from our lenses and then again in our minds. I feel relentless and without cause to pause in this endeavor.