Under a canopy of stars, the desert dunes become a world of silence and shadow. The heat of the day fades, replaced by a crisp, almost eerie chill. Sand whispers beneath your feet, soft and cool, shifting with every step. The sigh of wind is amplified in the vast stillness. Time slows. You feel alone yet connected, a small part of something immense and ancient. The night sky stretches endlessly above, and the desert breathes quietly, timeless and mysterious in the moonlit dark.
Prior to the start of my last Death Valley Photography Workshop, I had as one of my goals to create an image evocative of experiencing the sand dunes at night. I was joined by my co-adventurer and brother, Peter. With the vision of what I wished to capture firmly in mind, we ventured out into the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley just before sunset. After searching the dunes for a short time we located what we thought would be the perfect dune, but the clouds had rolled in. Checking our PhotoPills app we were able to determine that Orion should be visible over our chosen dune if the sky should clear.
I then set up my camera, carefully composing the image as best I could without Orion visible. As dusk faded and darkness overcame us I set up two LED panel lights on light stands. I then experimented with positioning the lights to bring out the shape and textures of the dune. After placing the lights to best illuminate the dune I began doing some test shots. At that moment, the clouds parted for a few brief moments revealing Orion in the sky as hoped for. Quickly modifying the composition I was then able to fire off several exposures.
Pertinent Camera and exposure info:
Canon R5 with RF 15-35/2.8 lens
15 sec., f5.6, ISO 2500
Lighting: 2- LP Micro LED lights with CTO gels on lightstands
Processed in Adobe Lightroom and Topaz DeNoise