The Shot: Rock Trails
Location: Death Valley, California
Skill Level: Intermediate
Techniques: Scouting and preparation, wide-angle photography
Recommended knowledge: Setting your camera’s aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Changing the autofocus point.
Quite often the majority of the work required to make an image occurs before the camera ever snaps a shot. In this post we’ll take a bouncy ride out to one of the more remote spots on the continent to catch the short but beautiful moment before sunset known as “golden hour”.
OUR DESTINATION
Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park is a unique location famous for its mysterious “moving” rocks. Along the scaly texture of a dry lakebed, rocks dot the surface with tell-tale and seemingly impossible trails in their wake (more on how this phenomenon occurs later). I had seen photos of this location, mostly taken in mid-daylight hours, and decided to attempt a golden hour shot.
TRAVEL
The most difficult part of capturing an image like this is actually getting there. Death Valley National Park is remote (four hours drive from Los Angeles and two from Las Vegas), and Racetrack Playa is relatively deep in a secluded part of the park. For seven months of the year the average temperature high is greater than 90°F (32°C) making it one of the most inhospitable locations to visit in the United States. From the visitor’s center in the park, it is an 83 mile drive including 27 miles on a rough single-lane dirt road. That may not seem like much, but the rugged washboard prevents travel speeds more than about 15-20 miles per hour. In all, the dirt road portion of the drive it is about one and a half hours of non-stop bouncing and rattling. Be sure to have your gear stowed in protective padding (and book an appointment with your chiropractor). I’d definitely advise against attempting this drive in a car unless it has sufficient clearance, solid 4-wheel drive (not the same as all-wheel drive), high tolerance for off-road abuse, and a good spare tire. Many visitors rent Jeeps fitted for off-road use.
The route from the Furnace Creek Visitor’s Center. West of Grapevine Peak the drive switches from paved to dirt roads. Expect to be on the dirt roads for about 1.5 hours at speeds no greater than 20mph. (courtesy: Google Maps)
SCOUTING
Once at the playa, and after a good stretch of the arms and legs, I ventured out onto the playa itself. Common sense (and park rules) prohibits driving onto the playa - there is ample parking at the end of the dirt road. Sadly, much of the playa was defaced in 2016 by joyriding morons. Instead of rock trails, visitors were left with criss-crossing ugly black tire marks. It could take years before there is enough rainfall to wash away the damage. Locals told me this is not the first such incident and that the park may admit future visitors to the playa by permit only, or not at all. This is why we can’t have nice things.
For a golden hour shot, it’s important to arrive well in advance of sunset to find the right composition, read the light, and set up your gear. You should also research the direction of the sunset to help decide whether you want a back-lit, front-lit, or side-lit shot. Suncalc.net is a free resource for determining the direction of sunrise and sunset. Popular smartphone apps include The Photographer’s Ephemeris and Photopills (more on how to use these apps in a different blog post). Early arrival at the site will also allow you to take some time to explore and simply enjoy the experience - something that will be more difficult when you’re focused on photography during the fleeting moments of golden hour. Part of the fun here is searching the area and choosing your favorite rock and composition. With a short while before golden hour, it’s time to set up the tripod and take some test shots.
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TECHNIQUE
Wide Angle shots: For a dramatic close-up of the subject, choose a wide angle lens and set up low and very close to the rock. I used a Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 lens on my Canon 5D Mark III for this image. Wide angle lenses exaggerate and distort the size of anything near the lens, while diminishing the scale of more distant objects.
Focus stacking: In this type of shot, even with a narrow aperture (f/22) there may not be enough depth of field to achieve sharp focus of the foreground and background in a single exposure. To compensate for the limited depth of field, photographers sometimes use a focus stacking technique (combining multiple exposures each with a different focal point - e.g. one that focuses on the foreground, a second on the middle ground, and a third on the background. More on that in a different post). We’ll keep things simple, and in my case I did so out of necessity. Because I arrived later than expected, there wouldn’t be much time before the sun dipped below the mountains to the west, and the golden light would disappear.
Narrow aperture: If you are going to achieve focus in one exposure, make sure to dial back the aperture to f/16 or narrower, focused on the foreground subject. If you are too close to the rock, you’ll need to focus stack in order to achieve sharpness throughout. Because you’ll be using a relatively narrow aperture in diminishing light, you’ll need to compensate with shutter speed and/or ISO for a proper exposure. (Need to brush up on exposure and how aperture, shutter speed and ISO work?) Remember that a longer shutter speed will cause moving objects (e.g. moving clouds, blowing sand) to appear blurry or as streaks. This can be a very pleasing effect, but if it’s not what you desire, and you prefer to keep moving clouds sharp you’ll need to limit shutter speed and compensate by raising the ISO.
Focus: For a single shot, keep the autofocus point on the foreground subject. If the camera is on a steady tripod, turn off image-stabilization (vibration reduction) on the lens if possible. Only keep it enabled if conditions are very windy.
Exposure: use your histogram to ensure highlights are not blown out, especially the sunlight on the mountains. Use bracketing or HDR if desired (if you are not shooting in the direction of the sun this should not be required.)
Positioning: Keep your camera height below or on the same horizontal plane as your subject to achieve a dramatic effect. Most rocks are not more than one foot in height, so you’ll need to be low. A tripod is needed for this type of shot due to the low light and potential slow shutter speed. It’s also hard on the knees and back to get down that low - let the tripod do the crouching and use a remote to trigger the shutter.
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Perspective and lighting make all the difference. In this shot the camera is on a tripod roughly three feet in elevation and the golden light has disappeared behind the mountains. The rock looks small and the light is flat. For the portfolio shot, the camera was less than a foot off the ground and the sunlight was almost horizontal from the west, giving us a golden light quality and long shadows.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Use your judgment about what can be achieved in the time that you have and remember that it’s better to take more pictures than you need. Golden “hour” is variable in length depending on where you are (latitude) and the time of year - but the blue hour following sunset (or preceding sunrise) can be just as magical - so don’t pack up too early. At the playa remember to seek out more than one rock and alternate compositions! When you return to your hotel or campsite, after the long bouncy ride, put your feet up, have your favorite beverage, and review your photos - I like to rate my favorite ones in camera or in Adobe Lightroom. Then sleep on it and pick your finalists afterward.
Some additional considerations: Racetrack Playa is a special place and worth the trek. Before visiting this location, consider weather conditions (especially if there is rain or flash flooding in the forecast, or in the heat of the summer months), research driving options, pack enough water (then double that amount), bring warm clothing in winter, and tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Bring a flashlight (or two), batteries, and GPS. Travel with a companion (the human kind). As in most desert locations, dust and sand can be a problem and won’t play nicely with electronics. If shooting with a DSLR or mirrorless camera, choose your lens and mount it to the camera body before you pack your gear, then leave your gear packed until you arrive.
SUMMARY
Plan the shot with directions, time of day, and logistics
Research the time and direction of sunset
Check the weather forecast
Bring a friend and tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to return
Pack the essentials including water, sunscreen, proper attire, flashlight, extra batteries and a first aid kit
Arrive early and walk around for a while until you find a composition you like
Get close to your subject and on the same horizontal plane
Dial back (stop-down) your aperture to ensure a greater depth of field (i.e. keep everything in focus)
Feeling accomplished during blue hour. Unlike our wide-angle close-up, the rocks don’t look very big when photographed from this perspective.
MYSTERY
I almost forgot - what about the mysterious moving rocks themselves? People have theorized that gale-force winds move them, while the less-scientifically inclined envisioned ghosts or aliens. Until recently, we did not have a definitive answer. This video explains the mystery. Enjoy!
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