There is something special about revisiting the same places over and over again. It is like visiting a good old friend. We tend to learn and understand the place better, under different conditions, different light, different weather, and mood. We get inspired by what we see and sometimes we feel down and not creative, but nevertheless, it all contributes to our greater understanding and awareness and inevitably leads to better photographs.
However, one question has always bothered me – what draws us to certain places and not others? One of such places for me is Death Valley. I have been searching for an answer to this question for a long time in an attempt to become more self-aware and to understand my own instincts.
I think I have finally come to the conclusion that what draws me the most is the vastness of the place and the almost endless ability to explore. And not just Death Valley, but deserts in general. This is where I can genuinely tune down all the distractions, including those internal ones that pull me into all kinds of things and interests, and be true to myself. I get the feel of comfort and calmness, my mind is no longer busy, and when I am in that state of mind I can be the most creative.
I have also found that amongst all the various places I have traveled to for my photography or just to enjoy nature, deserts tend to be the most elegant and aesthetically pleasing to my eye. The lack of detail forces me to be more creative, finding compelling compositions among the vastness of nothing is fun. What draws me also is the story aspect of any desert on the planet. Every desert was once an oasis of life, its story is embedded into its landscape and for me, it’s a great pleasure to be able to find and tell that story.
It is commonly believed that photographing in such places is easier because there is not much of a distraction going on in the frame and it is easier to focus on what is important to tell the story. I actually find it is quite the opposite. It is much more difficult to navigate in a place when nothing really stands out on its own without an idea for a photograph.
In the last ten years, I have been visiting Death Valley and the surrounding deserts of California once or twice a year, and after all that time I walked away with only three photographs that I am personally happy with. It might seem like I am a loser, but each one of these photographs depicts a truly unique moment, that you would not normally see every day or even year, and each tells a bit of a story about Death Valley that I hope you will be able to see as well. You can see these photographs here below.
Milky Dunes, Death Valley NP. Available in a limited edition of 10 + 2 artist proofs (8 out of 10 are available) as a photographic print.
Sky and Desert, Death Valley NP. Available in a limited edition of 50 + 2 artist proofs (49 out of 50 are available) as a photographic print.
The Panamint Range Sunrise, Death Valley NP. Available in a limited edition of 50 + 2 artist proofs (49 out of 50 are available) as a photographic print.
I will certainly keep coming back to these places to find new creative ways to tell new stories of their past, current, and even future.
I would like to finish with the following thought below that I am currently pondering myself, trying to bring more sense into my photography:
A great photograph is supposed to tell a story, it does not require a description. The greatest of the great ones raises questions instead of answering them.