A Few Photographs from a Long Drive to Death Valley

Earlier this spring, my dad and I took a road trip from Colorado to Death Valley, cutting through eastern California with no real agenda beyond seeing some places and spending time together. I brought cameras, but the only images I really set out to make were of the dunes and the Alabama Hills.

A few others—like the peeling paint in Death Valley Junction or the self-portrait out on the Racetrack Playa—just happened. And that was fine. This trip was more about the experience than the output. We drove, we camped, we wandered, and I made a few photographs along the way.

Death Valley Junction – Window Detail

Located at the eastern edge of California's Death Valley National Park, Death Valley Junction is a near-ghost town best known for the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel. Once a company town for the Pacific Coast Borax Company, it now stands as a fading remnant of the early 20th century desert industry, preserved in time with only a handful of residents and quiet, sun-bleached buildings.

This photograph was made at one of those structures—a weathered façade showing layers of peeling paint and aging windowpanes.

Shot using an Arca-Swiss Rm3di technical camera paired with a Hasselblad CFV 100C digital back and a Schneider Kreuznach APO-Digitar 72L lens, the final image is a stitched composition of two frames to create a square aspect ratio. The high-resolution medium format system captures every crack and curl of paint in fine detail, while the symmetry of the two windows gives the scene a quiet sense of order amid decay.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

These two photographs, made minutes apart at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, explore the abstract qualities of the landscape using a super-telephoto lens setup: the Fujifilm GFX 100 II with a GF 500mm and 1.4x teleconverter. This compressed perspective flattens depth, allowing the frame to be filled entirely with the undulating patterns of sand.

By isolating distant ridgelines and working with the natural geometry of the dunes, both images emphasize form over context—resulting in a more abstract, graphic interpretation of the scene. Made from a fixed tripod position using long exposure techniques, both exposures were composed in-camera using different crop modes with only minor refinements afterward.

Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes 01: Warm Light and Patterns

Captured in the final moments of direct sunlight, this image shows a striking contrast between the warm highlights of the setting sun and the cool shadow tones shaped by reflected sky light.

If you look closely, you can spot sand being blown from the ridgelines—small streaks of motion that hint at the challenging wind conditions.

Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes 02: Blue Hour Abstraction

Taken just after sunset, this photograph shifts entirely into the blue hour palette, with no direct sunlight reaching the dunes.

Eastern Sierra Sunrise – Alabama Hills

The Alabama Hills sit at the base of the eastern Sierra Nevada near Lone Pine, California. This high desert landscape is known for its rounded granite formations and dramatic contrast against the jagged peaks of the Sierra crest.

This image was made at first light using an Arca-Swiss Rm3di paired with a Hasselblad CFV 100C digital back and the Schneider Kreuznach APO-Digitar 120mm ASPH lens.

The sharpness and tonal range of the medium format setup allow for fine detail from the weathered stone of the Alabama Hills to the distant textures of the mountain face.

Racetrack Playa

This self-portrait was made at Racetrack Playa, one of the most remote and iconic locations in Death Valley National Park. Known for its mysteriously moving rocks and vast, cracked clay surface, the Racetrack sits over 3,700 feet above sea level and is only accessible by a 27-mile rough dirt road—high-clearance or 4x4 vehicles required.

The image wasn't made for any portfolio or project—just for the memory. My dad had always heard of the Racetrack but didn't realize it was tucked inside Death Valley until we were on our way.

After nearly four hours of driving from our campsite at Panamint Springs, we set up the camera, stepped into the frame, and made a quick photo—looking cool, of course. Sometimes the best images aren't about composition or light. They're about being there with someone who matters.

Wrapping Up

Death Valley is a place of contrast—both in the landscape and in the experience. On this trip, I wasn't chasing photos in the usual way. I made a few I'm glad to have, but more than anything, I'm glad for the time on the road with my dad. Some images were planned, others were just part of being present. That balance—between intention and happenstance—felt like the right way to approach both the drive and the camera.