Spending time in Death Valley National Park was an overwhelmingly creative experience. I think it is for many artists because it is one of the most beautiful and strangely diverse landscapes in America. This is the second of several posts about life in Death Valley.

Fall Canyon in Death Valley

Fall Canyon in Death Valley

Light Drama in Fall Canyon by Richard Lewis 2013

Hiking in Death Valley, especially in the winter months when the high mountains are socked in with snow, means either an open country hike or huffing through the park’s many canyons. We liked the canyons because they provide relief from the open sun and the monotony of hiking across a vast basin where the landscape doesn’t change much from one mile to the next.

Death Valley National Park has few marked trails. Most hiking is done using a map, GPS or by following a simple instruction like, “Head up the canyon”. Heading up a canyon might seem like an easy instruction to follow except when you get to the intersection of two canyons and try to figure out which one is the right one. Sometimes improvised cairns (piles of stones) mark the way, but usually it is left to your better judgment. Actually, it really doesn’t matter which way you go because where ever you end up it’s a great place to be.

Fall Canyon

Fall Canyon has shear rock walls that tower a thousand feet above the canyon floor. It can be 25 to 50 wide at times and then shrink down to a narrow slot canyon. In a canyon like this you get an overwhelming feeling of intimacy with nature as you wander between the steep walls. The hike was somewhat challenging because it is a continuous uphill climb on deep, loose gravel that causes your feet to sink and slide downhill while you walk. It was one step forward and a half step back. What made the effort rewarding was the way the light played against the canyon walls. Sometimes they were illuminated with beautiful contrasts of light and shadow. At other times the sunlight would reflect softly down the deep canyon walls causing them to glow.

Fall Canyon in Death Valley

Fall Canyon Glow by Richard Lewis 2013

Fall Canyon in Death Valley

A Tight Squeeze in Fall Canyon by Richard Lewis 2013

Fall Canyon in Death Valley

Glowing Bush in Fall Canyon by Richard Lewis 2013

Fall Canyon in Death Valley

Glow Around The Bend in Fall Canyon by Richard Lewis 2013

Fall Canyon in Death Valley

Hanging Around Fall Canyon by Richard Lewis 2013

How I Did It – Lens Flair – Most of the photography I did in Fall Canyon was pretty straight up but I had to deal with lens flair in the “Glowing Bush” image. Lens flair shows up as polygon shaped bright spots on the image. To fix this I used 3 layers in Photoshop: Color Balance and Selective Color to fix the color as well as Levels to control the brightness. Isolating the lens flairs requires some accurate masking. If you want to know more about this technique, let me know and I’d be happy to help.

More Death Valley to come!

Want to be more creative with your camera? I can help so feel free to contact me. 

Like these photographs? They’re for sale as fine art prints. Please visit my photography website to see more.