In the Distance
Little did I know when I took this photo how totally it would fit with what will surely be the phrase of the year: "social distancing". I can't quite bring myself to use this as the title because it's too obvious and it's become a rather annoying phrase. Distance, however, has many meanings and I always like titles with layers of meaning.
Taken in late Feb in Mesquite Dunes, Death Valley National Park. In fact, I did have some awareness by this time of what was coming and some sense of the personal risk. I was in Las Vegas for a conference, with participants from around North America and Europe. The lockdown was in full swing in Wuhan province by now, and the first cases had appeared in Italy and in Washington State. However, there was not yet any state of emergency and the WHO had yet to declare this a pandemic. But people were starting to talk, there was an uneasiness if someone coughed, and I personally wanted to get well away from the bustle of the Vegas strip. However, I wasn't wiping down every surface I touched and I certainly wasn't "sheltering".
After a few busy days, a little side trip up through DVNP and on to Alabama Hills became possible and so I jumped on it, even though it meant a lot of driving in a short amount of time. I'm certainly thankful I did as it was productive, and as it turns out, was to be the last photography outing I'd get to do for some time. This is starting to feel like a distant memory, but certainly a pleasant one!
In Mesquite Dunes there are multiple ways to get in to the dunes. The most common is to park at the main entrance and march through the dunes with hundreds of other people. One can also park further up on the side of the road and take a longer walk through the salt flats in to the eastern edge of the dunes. This is my preferred route because hardly anyone else takes this route, so the dunes are generally undisturbed, and there are some good vistas from that side of the dunes. However, the dunes are a longer distance from the road so it's a good hike in, and an even longer one out in the darkness after sunset (and one needs to keep a pretty good mental compass so as not to end up lost in the desert).
I particularly liked this visual arrangement with the gradual build up of smaller dunes to this central peak, with the shadowed mountains and the setting sun in the backdrop. Fortunately there were clouds to create some rays, and this one lone photographer on the top of the tallest dune in the distance. Social (and physical) distancing at its finest! I took two camera bodies with me (my K1 full frame and this one, my older K3ii crop sensor body) since I wanted both a wide angle and a telephoto, and from past experience I learned the hard way that one should not attempt to change lenses in the middle of the dunes!
I hope everyone is healthy and managing to cope. I've been doing my part to keep my little neighborhood craft beer store in business. Now I am looking forward to the opening up of some possibilities for photography outings in the hopefully not-too-distant future. Whenever that comes to pass, I shall surely be maintaining some distance for a while!
In the Distance
Little did I know when I took this photo how totally it would fit with what will surely be the phrase of the year: "social distancing". I can't quite bring myself to use this as the title because it's too obvious and it's become a rather annoying phrase. Distance, however, has many meanings and I always like titles with layers of meaning.
Taken in late Feb in Mesquite Dunes, Death Valley National Park. In fact, I did have some awareness by this time of what was coming and some sense of the personal risk. I was in Las Vegas for a conference, with participants from around North America and Europe. The lockdown was in full swing in Wuhan province by now, and the first cases had appeared in Italy and in Washington State. However, there was not yet any state of emergency and the WHO had yet to declare this a pandemic. But people were starting to talk, there was an uneasiness if someone coughed, and I personally wanted to get well away from the bustle of the Vegas strip. However, I wasn't wiping down every surface I touched and I certainly wasn't "sheltering".
After a few busy days, a little side trip up through DVNP and on to Alabama Hills became possible and so I jumped on it, even though it meant a lot of driving in a short amount of time. I'm certainly thankful I did as it was productive, and as it turns out, was to be the last photography outing I'd get to do for some time. This is starting to feel like a distant memory, but certainly a pleasant one!
In Mesquite Dunes there are multiple ways to get in to the dunes. The most common is to park at the main entrance and march through the dunes with hundreds of other people. One can also park further up on the side of the road and take a longer walk through the salt flats in to the eastern edge of the dunes. This is my preferred route because hardly anyone else takes this route, so the dunes are generally undisturbed, and there are some good vistas from that side of the dunes. However, the dunes are a longer distance from the road so it's a good hike in, and an even longer one out in the darkness after sunset (and one needs to keep a pretty good mental compass so as not to end up lost in the desert).
I particularly liked this visual arrangement with the gradual build up of smaller dunes to this central peak, with the shadowed mountains and the setting sun in the backdrop. Fortunately there were clouds to create some rays, and this one lone photographer on the top of the tallest dune in the distance. Social (and physical) distancing at its finest! I took two camera bodies with me (my K1 full frame and this one, my older K3ii crop sensor body) since I wanted both a wide angle and a telephoto, and from past experience I learned the hard way that one should not attempt to change lenses in the middle of the dunes!
I hope everyone is healthy and managing to cope. I've been doing my part to keep my little neighborhood craft beer store in business. Now I am looking forward to the opening up of some possibilities for photography outings in the hopefully not-too-distant future. Whenever that comes to pass, I shall surely be maintaining some distance for a while!