About the Park
Death Valley National Park… The area got its name because the Bennet-Arcane party wandered in, and stumbled out weeks later after suffering deprivation and death among livestock (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Valley_National_Park for more interesting facts).
Getting There
Death Valley is located near the California/Nevada border, and is about two and a half hours from either LA or Las Vegas. There is no multi-lane interstate highway leading to the park – the last 100 plus miles are two-lane highway, much of which wanders through mountain passes and the likes.
Staying There
There are two hotels or lodges in the park, which appear to be run by private concessionaires. There are multiple campgrounds, as well.
Note that during COVID, the campgrounds are not in use. There is not camping in the park, unless it is dispersed.
Getting around the park itself is deceptively simple. It’s simple as in there are few roads and they’re clearly marked. Deceptive in that… it takes an incredible amount of time to traverse from one section of interest to another. Some areas, such as the Race Track, lie at the far end of a dozen or more miles of dirt road with sharp rocks.
How to Shoot Death Valley
The key to successfully capturing landscapes in the Southwest is to leverage HDR (High Dynamic Range) techniques. I find the range between the dark shadows of flora and crevices and such spanning to the bright colors in the sky is simply too much to capture. The sky always ends up blown out, or the darker areas are dark beyond identification. With HDR, I shoot the same image 3 times: 1 stop below, 1 stop at, and 1 stop above the recommended exposure. In Lightroom I combine these to create some incredible shots.
Another key to success is to have a wide angle lens. The wide vistas of DVNP demand it–although as an alternative, you can make multiple frames and paste them together as a panoramic in Photoshop.
You’ll definitely want to have high-quality, weather-resistant gear when shooting in a place like Death Valley. Sand… sand gets everywhere, but it’s exacerbated by the wind. You’ll also want a light brush (a makeup brush is excellent) to sweep off dust throughout the day. This is why I exclusively shoot the Olympus EM1 and Olympus pro lens lineup – my equipment is water and dust resistant.
What To Shoot in Death Valley
There are a lot of attractions, so you’ll need to plan your time wisely. Keep in mind that it’s not only HOT temperature-wise most of the year, but it’s a wide-open, dry valley. The light is hot, refracted, and harsh. It can be a challenge to shoot. My daytime recommendation is to visit the slot canyons and other environments where light is diffused or reflected rather than direct. Reserve golden and blue hours for shooting the landscapes – Badwater, Zabriskie, Dante’s View, etc.
My trip to Death Valley won’t be my last opportunity to shoot there. I didn’t have time to visit some of the more remote attractions such as the race track, so I do plan to return–with tires more capable for the harsh offroad Jeep tracks, too.