Death Valley

Last week I headed out to Death Valley to meet up with my friends for some fun and photography. Meeting me there were Jason Groupp, John Griffin, TJ Cameron and Tim Halberg. It was a great opportunity for a bunch of wedding photographers to get together and do something different! We got there on Tuesday afternoon after stopping at one of my favorite diner's in Mojave, Primo Burgers. Note: when you go to a burger place, stick with the burgers! haha, some of us learned that lesson the hard way! It was pretty overcast and the light was flat so we just kind of setup camp and hung out. I cooked up my "college special" of macaroni and cheese mixed with chili and corn, mmmmmm!
The next day we were up early and headed over to the sand dunes but the light was completely flat, we couldn't even see our own shadows. Most of Wednesday we spent sightseeing by checking out old mines and ghost towns. I got some kind of cool shots in the rain (yes, it was raining!) of one of the towns but it's all on film which I don't have back yet. That night we consumed plenty of frothy adult beverages then woke up at 6am to shoot at Zabriski point the next day.
Zabriski is well photographed but the light was good so we shot away. It was pretty funny to see all the other wannabe nature photogs out there (I definitely include myself in this category!) as people were taking pictures of all sorts of things! It was a total nerd pack! LOL
I had developed a real bad cold by this point so I was taking it pretty easy and didn't really get to shoot as much as I wanted but the light was hit or miss so it was not big deal. That afternoon we jumped in my Jeep and motored out to the Racetrack. The Racetrack is that weird dry lakebed where the rocks somehow slide along and leave tracks behind them. It is a really cool place but there were high winds so we didn't stay all that long. We did manage to get some good shots of all the wildflowers that are starting to bloom which was beautiful. I think I will head back on my way home from Vegas next month as all the other colors of flowers ought to be blooming by then.
If you have never been to Death Valley I strongly recommend checking it out. It is the least visited National Park so you are guaranteed no crowds which makes it worth it right there!

These pics are just what I shot as extra's from my digital camera. When I get my film back I will get some more fun shots up.


The flowers aren't quite all that thick yet, it needs another rain. This was near Salt Creek.


The view from Zabriski Point


Laying on the ground was the only way out of the relentless wind out at the Racetrack!


Some sort of interesting desert plant. I love how everything in the desert is all about texture and form.


Here's a pic of the moon just before the total lunar eclipse. It was pretty amazing, it completely covered the moon for about an hour. It got super dark so the stars became very vivid, it was one of the most star filled skies I have ever seen!