Conservation Center Photography Show -- Sand Dunes and Mountains, Death Valley, 2006; Zabriskie Point and Manly Beacon from Golden Canyon, Death Valley 2006; Mountains and Clouds, Golden Canyon, Death Valley 2006; Mountains and Clouds from Artist's Drive, Death Valley, 2006

On a trip to California to attend the first "Silver" conference in 2006, I spent a week in Death Valley making photographs.  The following three images are from that time.

This image in the Mesquite Flat sand dunes rendered in relatively high key tones with the bushes providing contrast.  The dream like quality of this image has always intrigued me, other-worldly.

The image was made with a Toyo 4x5 field camera and printed with pigment ink on Hahnemülhe photo rag paper (308gsm weight).  Image size 20" x 11.4".

Sand Dunes and Mountains, Death Valley, 2006

Walking into Golden Canyon one encounters stark hills devoid of vegetation folded onto each other.  A tremendous visible feast.  This day the sky was very clear but with an occasional thunderhead popping up.  The similarity of shape of Manly Beacon and the emerging thunderhead cloud was striking.  The cloud fragment acted somewhat as an observer of the scene.

The image was made with a Mamiyaflex 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 twin lens camera and printed with pigment ink on Hahnemülhe photo rag paper (308gsm weight).  Image size 17" x 13.9".

Zabriskie Point and Manly Beacon from Golden Canyon, Death Valley 2006

The following image was again striking because of the folded landscape, the clear sky and the emergence of the thunderhead just above the very dark ridge in the background

The image was made with a Mamiyaflex 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 twin lens camera and printed with pigment ink on Hahnemülhe photo rag paper (308gsm weight).  Image size 17" x 14.0".

Zabriskie Point and Manly Beacon from Golden Canyon, Death Valley 2006

Driving into the Artist's drive area provides a striking view across Death Valley and the distant mountains.  The strong contrast of the winding road, the dark and light tonalities of the mountains and the brilliance of the illuminated clouds all make for a fairytale scene but in this instance somewhat foreboding or sinister.

The image was made with a Toyo 4x5 field camera and printed with pigment ink on Hahnemülhe photo rag paper (308gsm weight).  Image size 20" x 15.8".

Mountains and Clouds from Artist's Drive, Death Valley, 2006