Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

maybe it's not the photography you're fatigued by, but rather the processing?
suppose for some they're part & parcel...

 

I go thru these phases. One day I want to shoot and then, cannot be bothered.

 

I can relate @DVexile. I only took a handful of pics on the DSLR on our January trip to DV and I haven't even download them onto the computer yet.

 

Same here for a few years now. On the past couple trips I haven't even brought the DSLR. The G5X and cell do make the trips. Even then, the G5X doesn't come out for photos much.

 

Cool description of the Mojave picture, Ken. Similar and mixed thoughts. For several years now I've made do with cell phone since they have gotten better. But they are limiting. I saved cash for a nice body and lens APS-C, but then decided I didn't want it after all and redeployed savings elsewhere. But quite recently I reevaluated that decision with some regret, and that I really should own a decent modern camera. I also have full access to the creative cloud suite at no cost. It's a great tool, but I can't keep up with all the changes.

As far as the time goes, the post processing can be fun, if it's just a few pics.

I'm my home we would print collage of our trips and put them in frames and hang on wall. This is the best as it keeps the memories alive.

Our family trip from Death Valley 2016 is one of the best. Last week I framed a photo from 2019 Inyo summer trip. I artistically altered it and printed but it sat for years before taking the last steps to display it. The cost to print has also risen pretty sharply over time and lots of places that print large format are gone.

 

When I bought my APS-C camera I specifically went with the Fuji brand because of the “film emulsion” presets. I always liked Velvia and Portra back in the film days. Since purchasing it I’ve tweaked a few of the base presets to my liking and have them saved on the camera. I shoot in raw+jpeg, if the preset looks good enough when I download to the computer I save them as the “final” and archive the raw for any future edits. It’s not a perfect system but it keeps me from doing lots of post processing.

That being said, @DVexile your photos are always excellent and way better than mine, please keep shooting them.

 

I'm at the stage where I need to acknowledge that I'm out there to have fun and sometimes photography just doesn't feel fun. It can become a burden feeling I've got to make best use of each twilight hour. Especially in the past couple of years where I've made fewer trips than usual so each sunset seems like a precious resource.

At other times photography really does make the trip more enjoyable. Particularly on vehicular explorations like the Mojave Road or the EMHT it is really nice to have photographic goals force me to slow down, stop, get out and look for compositions. Also in those cases since it is mid-day shooting I have low expectations and so anything that works out is a bit of a delightful surprise. And of course there are those rare "magic" days where something unusual is happening.

So I think I need to embrace the catharsis of just saying "fuck it" to some photographic opportunities. I'm already pretty good at doing that for sunrises on cold mornings!

I'm understanding more and more why the compact camera market is continuing to collapse, even the fancier "prosumer" compact cameras (although I guess the Fuji X100V has had a bit of a crazy fad buying of late). In the past I've often carried some sort of compact solution for when I'm hiking, but that kind of camera hasn't been with me on a trip for some time. Either I'm hiking somewhere that I know there are going to be photographs I want to take, and so I pack along the full frame camera, or else I know I'm mostly just going to document the hike for which the cellphone does a good enough job. Multiple cellphone exposures stacked to reduce noise works incredibly well.

One of the things that was nice back when all I shot was Velvia was that you learned what the emulsion was going to do and then you just shot to its strengths. Sadly I kind of sucked at composition back then so the end results still weren't worth much. But I know a lot of people who quite sensibly work with a handful of digital presets and shoot much like one would back in color transparency film days. As you point out the great thing today is that you've always got the RAW file if the preset didn't work out, and no developing costs either! I think for APS-C that Fuji has been an excellent choice for sometime now and with the new 40MP sensors you can get plenty of resolution for large prints or cropping if that is at all important. Probably would be what I'd be shooting if I hadn't leapfrogged from m43 to FF.

For me I actually quite enjoy the post processing when I'm in the mood. It is just a question of eventually being in the mood. One of the reasons my trip reports are usually months and months late is that since I don't get to go out that often I "save" the post processing for later so I can kind of relive the trip. I don't need it to feel like some sort of obligation I've got to get done as soon as I'm home.

I'm very selective about taking the camera out of the bag or clicking the shutter, so fortunately I don't feel overwhelmed by sorting through gobs of exposures and post processing. That absolutely can be a big problem that turns off a lot of photographers! Having come from film days I'm in the habit of being more discriminating in the field. These days I'm also much more confident about evaluating composition and light such that I'm not taking a "spray and pray" approach in the field.

Also a good fraction of my shots require almost no post processing. I don't really use presets, but effectively there are presets in my head such that in many situations post processing takes less than two minutes. But I also spent a fair bit of time doing B&W darkroom work in the past, so I'm not shy at all about spending a lot of time on a photo (especially monochrome ones) and enjoy that process as well. Usually I know in the field which kind of photo I'm taking and already have a post processing treatment in mind.

Anyway, it is heartening to hear that many other folks have a similar experience!

 

For me it seems the only time I bring out my DSLR the last few years is if I go to Death Valley or the Redwoods, photography-centric trips . I used to take a lot of pictures locally but have lost the motivation to do so. I am excited for my DV trip coming up in a couple weeks though, it's the first time I'll have my 100-400 lens with me there to play with.

 

I think there's another reason for me and that is FOMO. It's not just missing out on fun but being more aware. Photos are a great reminder for sure but sometimes, I want to just sit and experience what's happening.

 

cellphone photo seems to be adequate for my interests. i do prefer badly processed, lackluster film scans from old cameras.






2019

 

Not to diminish your feelings at all Ken - on the contrary, though we have a different style for our trip reports, I completely understand the feeling of "expectation" or "responsibility" to take photos, and how that can be burdensome, and I am glad that you've recognized them for yourself...

...still, I will say that I miss your trip reports. Your reports - more than any others, more than Digonnet's books, are what got me interested in DV. As you know, I've followed in your footsteps a few times, and your photography has been a big contributor to that. You are amazing at capturing the places in a way that makes them call to me. I feel lucky to have been able to read through many of your historical reports prior to my first trip to DV in 2018, and for the reports we've gotten from you since then. I look forward to any in the future that you feel energized to write.

 

I was in DV yesterday, Sunday. Lots of people along the lakeshore, many inflating or unloading kayaks and paddle boards and several out on the water. I mostly drove through as I was with our dog. The two of us did hike up the unsigned and unnamed road opposite the Ashford Mill pullout south of the basin. We made it up about 2 miles but she was getting pretty slow so we turned around. She can hike 10-12 miles faster than me but the direct sun gets to her, even though it was only about 70° and of course there’s no shade. Anyway, has anyone been up the road to the end? The DV map shows it as 2.8 miles. Looked like there were a few good camp spots with great views.
Edit: I just found on maps.me that it’s Ashford Canyon.

 

@DVexile, thanks for the spot-on advice about launching a kayak in Lake Manly. On the south side of the alluvial fan south of Badwater was the perfect place -- it even had a little beach (~MP17.5). When we went out on Monday there were maybe a half dozen other kayakers -- we spoke to a ranger who said they counted 150 kayakers on Sunday. We had to drag the kayak about 40-50' out to find water deep enough to float us. We were a half mile out and the paddles were still hitting the bottom. Certainly not quality kayaking, but it was fun to experience this rare event.

 

Love it. Exactly the kind of event Huell Howser would be sure to cover and exude unquenchable interest while doing it. Also a sad reminder of how long ago the last time was as he passed eleven years ago...

 

Love it. I remember seeing that episode of Californias gold. I think that's what it was called. That was probably the last time this was going on?

 

Video: SPRINGTIME IN DEATH VALLEY – CALIFORNIA’S GOLD (125)

 

Awesome. When I first saw the image, I wondered if that was 2005, and the video link confirmed it. Hard to believe 2005 was 19 years ago. But that was the last time the lake appeared. I feel old now. lolz

Also I want a time machine so I can go back to when it was 100 miles long and 600' deep

 

I went back and watched the episode again. Howser was truly excited by the places he visited and the people he spoke with. It’s almost crazy to think how almost spur of the moment some places seemed to be. He worked with only a few people to make his shows.

Can’t imagine where he’d be today had he lived longer. Weird to say but he was a treasure for sure.

 

I know there was water in the lake at some point after 2009 when I got my truck. I'd have to go back through my photos from the early days of my death valley explorations.