Z is for Zabriskie by Ted Gore

Z is for Zabriskie by Ted Gore

Zabriskie point. The crown jewel for photographers in Death Valley. When you visit the front desk of the lodge at furnace creek, you are met with a large pano photograph of a line of photographers perched on a hill overlooking Zabriskie point with the caption ‘Photographers Paradise’ below it. It’s a bit comical to me because nothing about that kind of situation is a paradise for me… standing shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of other photogs, shooting the same thing! And if you’ve ever been here to the main lookout, you know… this place is a madhouse every morning with photographers. In fact, the day I took this shot, I counted 50 from where I was strategically positioned, in a location far away from the main lookout. I had made my way out along a side ridge to avoid the crowd, to gain a different vantage, and to have a better angle for the direction of the light. I’ve visited Zabriskie point on several occasions and while the popularity of the place is a bit off putting to me, I still recognize the uniqueness of the landscape, and had always wanted to capture a shot of it that I was happy with. I was really happy to snag this one. The sun light was being filtered by a very thin layer of clouds which gave off a stronger yet still soft light that I thought was better than the typical clear sky soft light, and I was able to capture the shot while a man was making his way through the landscape on a early morning hike. The scale of this place is so easily lost… even when you are standing there in person looking at it. I was actually surprised when I saw him, because the confusing, twisting, alien nature of the land has a way of throwing off all your capabilities of understanding the scale of the place. When I saw him, I was surprised at how small he was! That combined with the criss crossing ripples of mineral rich soil and rock and the perfect soft morning light make for an image I’m proud of. Learn my processing techniques. Sign up for my Email List.

Ted Gore: Photos