I'm the type of person who can decide at 10am that I want to get away and by noon I am out the door. There is something about the thrill of not making a plan that excites me. As long as I am taking photos nothing else matters. I don't need a comfy place to sleep, great food or even running water. Just give me a camera that works, a sunset and some decent light and I am truly happy.
Last week after watching a Youtubers video on the dunes in Death Valley I immediately was inspired and was packed and out the door in one hour flat.
Did I forget my hiking boots, credit cards and sunscreen? Yes...yes I did. Did I remember 5 different cameras? Yes I also did that.
My house to Death Valley was roughly 5 hours and my arrival time was going to be around 5:30pm which was going to be perfect for a 7:30 sunset. I was headed directly to the Mesquite Flat sand dunes and really didn't have much interest in the rest of Death Valley because of how incredible this field of dunes had looked in the video I had watched.
I arrived an hour faster than expected and was so excited to get out there I didn't wait for perfect light, I just started walking. With my WAY overpacked camera bag, my non hiking shoes, my limited water and my immediately burning Canadian skin I made my way out to what would become the start of the best 2 days of landscape photography of my life (this far).
After cresting the first large dune and coming across the scene above I knew it was going to be hard for me to ever leave this place. Because this was the middle of the week it was almost eerily quiet. A few cars in the parking lot, but spread out over this vast area it was a real feeling of being completely alone which is something I enjoy. Most places that are beautiful to photograph are also full of tourists and for someone like me, who goes searching for solitude with my camera I really felt a special connection to this place.
As I crested the next dune a lone hiker appeared and changed the course of my day.
They were walking in a line that I couldn't have coordinated better if picked them up and placed them there. I frantically scurried around working for interesting compositions while trying to remain unnoticed. As they worked their way up the massive dune I just kept shooting, verbally saying out loud multiple times "there is no way I just got that lucky.". As they got to the top I knew there could be potentially many more compositions just over the ridge. So I tossed my camera and tripod over my shoulder and set out to see if my luck was short lived or if I could squeeze some more out of this afternoon.
It felt impossible to take a bad photo, everywhere I turned there were new textures, new lines, new ways the light would hit the sand and I just couldn't get enough. There is something about this place that interacts with light like I've never experienced.
I truly felt like I could stay out there forever.. Until my lack of water put me in check. I made my way over what I felt like needed to be my final dune for the night and again was met with the opportunity for another really interesting composition. I was working with a wider lens because I wasn't looking for portraits, I was looking for landscapes and just wanted to use the people to capture a sense of scale.
And that was it. After feeling like I was just gifted some incredible luck I decided that figuring out where to sleep for the night would be a good next step rather than pushing my luck and risking burning myself out.
I had some success but I knew I needed more, and I knew I wanted a sunrise. So the next step was rest.
I wandered my way back to my car, rationing the last few sips of the very hot water I had, with 10 stops along the way to empty the never ending sand out of incredibly penetrable shoes. With the closest reasonably priced hotel being a little over 30 minutes away I left the dunes before sunset and headed there to get settled. I knew I would need a decent sleep if I was going to get up and make that drive before sunrise.
I pulled into Beatty, Nevada - population 847 - right as the sun set and was immediately greeted by a pair of donkeys walking down the middle of main street.. Now most people probably don't like staying in little tiny towns in the desert that they have never heard of but I love it because more often than not I'm there doing what I love. I found my way to the local Motel 6 and just like that, I had one of top 36 nicest rooms this town had to offer, including picturesque views of one of the smallest casinos you've ever seen and more of those free range donkeys that inhabit this town.
After waking up at 4am I was on the dunes by 5. Of course I didn't have a flashlight so I headed out into the mass of sand a little more slowly than the day before. Before the sun started to illuminate the way, the sand looked completely flat and it was hard to know which direction your next step would lead you.
As the sun started to rise I was hit with the most incredible mix of colors, textures and light. The glow of the non direct sun left an incredible contrast of blue and orange on the dunes. Just like the night before it was quiet out here. This morning was even more quiet. As you can imagine it takes a different type of person to hike a mile deep into a patch of dunes in the dark.. so coming across another one would be almost too lucky..right?
Fortunately for me, this morning was just that. Very, very lucky.
I personally am not into taking trendy portraits for social media but when I saw a couple of obvious influencers walking up the dune right as the sun rose I couldn't have been happier. They were focused on their own portraits so I could continue to shoot the environment and use them to add interest where it was needed without actually seeing details of the person.
After looking through some of the images in the back of my camera right after taking the shot above I knew I could leave and be happy with what I shot. It was a perfect morning. As I walked back to the car I found a couple more compositions along the way but by this point I couldn't wait to get back to my little motel room to see what I captured/get coffee into my system. I was hustling to get out of there.
After spending the middle of the day getting photos onto my laptop and resting at the motel, I was ready to hit the dunes for a final time. I made the drive back and decided this time I wanted to get as deep into the dunes as I could to hopefully get a completely new vantage at them to see as many different compositions as I could squeeze into this short 48 hours.
And just like that, I was back on the dunes. This time with even more purpose and pressure to perform as this would be the last time I would spend with these majestic wind formed hills.
The way I set out was a much less popular way to go, at first I wasn't sure why but quickly realized this way was littered with smaller more difficult to get over dunes for as far as the eye could see. Rather than climbing 3 or 4 dunes, tonight I was going over 50. I was ready for the challenge.
After what felt like an eternity of painful up and downs I had finally reached the back of the field and just as I did I spotted two young guys, hiking directly up the spine of the largest dune. This was my chance. My tank was instantly recharged up to full and I was ready for another marathon of compositions instead of miles. The images below are how I captured them. In order - to see their journey.
The photo below was the final image I took before making the long and emotionally mixed walk to my car and eventually long drive home. Leaving this place was going to be hard, but I was equally excited to get home and share what I had captured. In a time in my life of dramatic change I truly needed to just escape, to have nothing to worry about but my next photo.
What photo is my favorite?
My favorite photo will always be the next photo I take..because it means I'm still here, doing the thing that matters the most to me.
