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Ganesh Raam
WorkWild
Park · California, Nevada · Desert Southwest

Death Valley

What makes it unique

The lowest, driest and hottest place in North America, which inverts the normal calendar completely: the months everywhere else shuts down are the only months this park works.

Acreage3,408,396
National park since1994
Best lightFeb, Nov
Visited2019
Terrain profile · W→E Panamint Range to Badwater to the Black Mountains · 36.2°N · -279–9,649 ftElevation data · Open-Meteo

The photographs

17 selects
Creosote Flats, Death ValleyCreosote Flats30mm · f/11 · 1/160s · ISO 800Desert Wash, Death ValleyDesert Wash32mm · f/5.6 · 1/125s · ISO 100Zabriskie Point Badlands, Death ValleyZabriskie Point Badlands35mm · f/4 · 1/200s · ISO 100Zabriskie Point, Death ValleyZabriskie Point35mm · f/8 · 1/200s · ISO 100Badwater Basin, Death ValleyBadwater Basin24mm · f/8 · 1/250s · ISO 100Salt Polygons, Death ValleySalt Polygons24mm · f/8 · 1/250s · ISO 100Badwater Leap, Death ValleyBadwater Leap24mm · f/4 · 1/2000s · ISO 100Desolation Canyon, Death ValleyDesolation Canyon16mm · f/5.6 · 1/25s · ISO 100Sunset over the Panamints, Death ValleySunset over the Panamints35mm · f/5.6 · 1/60s · ISO 100Artist's Palette, Death ValleyArtist's Palette20mm · f/4 · 1/60s · ISO 1250Desert Cabin, Death ValleyDesert Cabin18mm · f/11 · 1/125s · ISO 100Open Road, Death ValleyOpen Road24mm · f/11 · 1/100s · ISO 100Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death ValleyMesquite Flat Sand Dunes23mm · f/4.5 · 1/800s · ISO 100Mesquite Flat Panorama, Death ValleyMesquite Flat Panorama16mm · f/11 · 1/125s · ISO 100Salt Creek, Death ValleySalt Creek50mm · f/8 · 1/200s · ISO 100Salt Creek Boardwalk, Death ValleySalt Creek Boardwalk50mm · f/11 · 1/60s · ISO 100Devil's Golf Course, Death ValleyDevil's Golf Course23mm · f/16 · 1.6s · ISO 100
Field notes

If you go

From Parks by Month →
A · When to go

Best for photography in Feb, Nov.

photography
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B · Before you go
Access

Summer highs exceed 120°F. Backcountry roads wash out after storms, and the Racetrack needs high clearance plus two spare tyres. Fuel inside the park is scarce and expensive.

Avoid

May through September is not a shoulder season here, it is a closure in everything but name.

C · How I shot it

15 of 17 frames on the FE 16–35mm.

FE 16–35mm F4 ZA OSS15 of 17
FE 50mm F1.82 of 17
Most used24mm · 4 frames
Typical aperturef/5.6 – f/11
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