1994 | Mesquite Flat, Death Valley
I gathered with a few large-format photographers in January for a Death Valley week. I usually photograph alone, but the national park covers over 5,000 square miles, so it’s nice to have a few others along to share trail notes. We rarely get in each other’s way.
That year, we arrived in the valley after a busy holiday weekend. My friend Jim Noel had an idea of the kind of pictures he wanted to make, and he lamented the many footprints disturbing his classic sense of the dunes – the ridges, draws, planes, and facets can be ripe and rich material for pictures of dynamic serenity.
I don’t think Jim took his camera out. I was outdoors, so I geared up anyway and took a walk; I did not need to go very far to find an excellent place to work.