Death Valley is the  hottest, driest and windiest place on the planet on most days. It also features the lowest elevation in the lower 48 states. At 282 feet below sea level, Badwater is a fantasy land of salt beds that sometimes reach depths of 200 feet or more. The Badwater basin sits just 84 miles south-east of the highest point in the lower 48, Mount Whitney. With these facts in mind it is not hard to imagine what this landscape may hold photographically. A scorching plane in most months, rain will collect at the end of this vast valley and remain for short periods of time, leaving baked rings of salt in patterns that are unimaginable.

On this late afternoon spring shoot the winds were at times gale force! The cloud pattern was intriguing and the sidelight presented a wonderful panorama. All photography brings problems to be solved. I like to call it -something for something-. You give up something to get something is the explanation I use most. In this case it was trading an increase in sensor noise for faster shutter speed.

In truth it was even more complicated than that! Finding a place to place the truck as a windbreak was the start. The use of my heaviest video tripod was next. A Canon f/2.8 IS lens followed by pushing the ISO to 800. Then mounting a Singh-Ray Color Intensifier that adds only 1/3 stop filter factor or less, I found myself starting with shutter speeds of around 1/500th of a second. However as the shoot progressed and the light diminished, I found myself shooting speeds as slow as 1/30th!

As the last light of the day ended, so did the fierce winds leaving us only to ponder a great workshop day as we scanned the beauty of the vast valley before us.