The first rays of the sun melting the crest of the Panamint Range at Zabriskie Point in California’s Death Valley make for the purest of eye candy. A clutch of photographers can be reliably found there at dawn jockeying for slots on the mound overlooking the badlands. It is easy to be seduced by this iconic location and overlook other photographic opportunities right next door. On this morning, I explored compositions figuring the borate-laden hills lined up along the highway near Zabriskie Point. With an assist from the early morning light the warm yellow hills cut a crisp picture.
Borate-laden hills in Death Valley, California
5D Mark II, 24-105L
The black & white interpretation of the above image also makes for a compelling image.
Death Valley, California
5D Mark II, 24-105L
This could easily set off rumors of cities of gold 🙂
Did you consider cropping out some of the foreground that is in shadow, so that the hills are one-third of the frame from the bottom?