One of places we photographed on our trip to Death Valley with Alain and Natalie Briot was the Playa – a dry lake bed surrounded by hills and mountains. Our first visit to the Playa was at mid-day, followed by sunrise the next morning.
On our mid-day visit, Alain encouraged us to photograph the reflections of the hills in the streams of water in the lake bed. If you haven’t seen Alain’s two photographs of the area, Playa Reflections and Playa Reflections 2, be sure to take a look at them. They are spectacular.
For me, it was a challenge figuring out how to compose a photograph that gave the sense of color and grandeur of the desert landscape. I took a few hundred photos on our first visit. These two are among the last I took. I finally figured out that what fascinated me was the way the layers of color in the hills were reflected in the water.
(c) 2008 Patty Hankins
(c) 2008 Patty Hankins
When we returned to the Playa the next morning for sunrise, we were all a little surprised by the conditions. Not only was there a fairly heavy cloud cover, but areas of the sand had turned to mud. We all had fun walking out on the playa – trying to keep from sinking in the sand.
In contrast to the shades of brown of the previous day, the early light made the area appear in shades of blue. The patterns in the clouds echoed the patterns and textures of the dried sand along the edges of the water.
(c) 2008 Patty Hankins
The dried salt and sand made some for some incredible textures that were great fun to photograph.
(c) 2008 Patty Hankins
As I was finishing up photographing I happened to look back and see what happens when a group of photographers walk across the damp sand early in the morning.
(c) 2008 Patty Hankins
While we were careful to leave nothing but footprints, the group of us certainly left an awful lot of footprints. 🙂
Amazing photographs, I just love them all:)
Thank you for stopping by my blog. I would not have found your wonderful photography otherwise:):)
Happy New Year!
Although your photos are gorgeous, there are several signs posted warning people not to walk on the playa when it is wet. Footprints scar the playa, and will take YEARS to disappear. I know how tempting it is to violate Leave No Trace principles to get a once-in-a-lifetime shot, but when someone violates the rules it tends to result in restricted access for everyone. Please, please respect this magnificent environment and leave it in a pristine condition for those who come after you.
Sorry, Lori, but there were no signs in the area we were photographing in, and the only injunction we could find in the park guides is not to drive on the salt flats. The only area that we are aware of that is clearly marked for avoiding the water is in the Badwater area (a number of miles away), where they have put boardwalks around the ponds and clearly posted not to go in the water.
Cheers!
Bill