On the first evening of the Death Valley photo workshop that Bill and I attended, we photographed sunset at Zabriskie Point.

At first, I wasn’t sure how to photograph the scene. Usually, I’ve got a sense of where the light will be and have a general idea how I’ll be framing my photographs.  At Zabriskie Point, there were hills, mountains, packed piles of lake sediment – all forming incredible shapes. As the evening progressed, it became clear that the light and the way it reflected on the hills was going to be constantly changing.

The first light that captured my eye was the golden light of late afternoon shining on the hills. The rocks were incredible shades of golden orange.

(c) 2008 Patty Hankins

As the sun went behind the mountains, the hills were in open shade rather than direct sunlight. The colors of the hills became more subtle while the mountains in the background were a lovely shade of blue. In this light, the sediment layers became very distinct and colorful.

(c) 2008 Patty Hankins

(c) 2008 Patty Hankins

When the sun finally set, the sky lit up in shades of pink and blue. In this light, the hills appeared bathed in shades of pink.

(c) 2008 Patty Hankins

This sunset was a great introduction to the ever changing nature of the light in Death Valley – and how it would effect the way we saw the natural formations of the amazing landscape.