"Rainless night,
moonlit sky
pouring glittered stardust upon the sea
the colorful melodies wrapped within
while resting peacefully..."
The Racetrack, Death Valley
Photo: "Light In the Dark"
"She fumbled for a flashlight in the dead of night and the beam revealed a dream world slowly morphing into reality..."
Photo: "Simmering in Light"
The Racetrack, Death Valley
I'm in the mood to continue posting night images, so here is another shot from a Death Valley trip in January. This was taken at the end of blue hour. Light painting was added to help accentuate the textures in the playa and give emphasis on the rock.
Travel Companions: When You Get It Right
In the past three years, I took my first trip to the East Coast (and returned six more times), took my first trip to the Southern US, Portland and made two trips to Death Valley all in the name of photography. I have traveled with friends I've known for years and sometimes jumped in the car to drive hundreds of miles to hang out with dozens of people I've never met before. I can honestly say, I have been incredibly lucky to find such awesome travel companions.
On the most recent trip to Death Valley, I travelled for the first time with Brian Matiash, Brian Bonham, Ricardo Lagos and Matt Kloskowski (whom I met when we arrived.) Over the last year, I have developed friendships with them online and in person, so I knew this trip would be a blast. The reason it worked so well had to do with us having a similar sense of humor and not taking anything too seriously. I find that to be a very important aspect of the relationships I create. If we don't laugh together, it just won't work.
Life is far too short to spend time not hanging out with the people who make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts.
Photo: "Another Day in Solitude"
One this particular day, we had shot a cloudless sunrise at Zabriskie Point and feared we'd have the same cloudless skies for sunset out at The Racetrack, but we decided to go anyway. Thankfully, the evening turned out better than expected.
By sunset, we were the only people on the playa and though it was chilly, there was virtually no wind. A few small clouds moved in over the mountains as the sun went down and lit up in hues of pink and lavender. Taking our chances definitely paid off.
Photo: "Orb"
Light painting on the Racetrack in Death Valley.
Photo: "Starry Eyed"
The Racetrack, Death Valley.