Capturing Death Valley with an art model
The ephemorial lake stretching over Badwater Basin
I was already awake when my alarm went off but it startled me all the same. I’d been awake for a while now, sleep had been elusive since coming to California as I take ages to acclimatise, but this morning was special and my brain had been busy imagining the day ahead. It was 5 am and my body still ached from being in the car for the last two days as we drove from the Bay Area to Death Valley.
My camera bag was at the foot of the bed along with my clothes ready for me to quickly get going. In the room next to mine I could hear the faint movements of life from my neighbour and shooting partner; Sirena. We’d briefly met the night before after she too had driven from San Francisco. She had greeted me in the lobby of the hotel with a massive smile and an enthusiastic hug, any signs of being on the road for eight hours had evaporated. She was taller than I expected, something that was exacerbated by her Dr Martin boots. Seeing her for the first time, I was instantly reminded of a remark I had made a few weeks back whilst we planned this trip. I had commented that she had a Native American look about her which she confirmed other people had mentioned as well. Sirena was actually born in the US but has Venezuelan heritage, something that has culminated in a person who’s gentle facial features appear timeless. You could picture her in this desert wilderness hundreds of years ago, it was as if she was perfectly cast for our shoot together.
If asked, Sirena would describe herself as an art model, this is someone who enjoys nature shoots and is comfortable within their own skin. We were about to embark on a two day shoot of mostly art nude photography in a vast desert that neither of us had visited before. On paper this is a crazy thing to do, I’m sure it must seem bizarre to many. I was here to add another chapter to a project I am working on, the objective to capture the beauty of the human form in remarkable places that all feel other worldly. The more alien the landscape the better in my view. This all started last year whilst in Gozo with Kate where we captured her amongst the ancient salt pans. A creative spark was ignited and I wanted to continue that theme in new locations around the world. Happily Sirena had seen these images and so when we were connected by a mutual friend she was excited to get involved.
Many weeks back when I had planned this trip to Death Valley, I had centred on shooting in Badwater Basin, a valley that is 282 ft below sea level and lined with salt flats. 10,000 years ago the valley was filled with a lake that collected minerals including salt from the mountains that surrounded it. As the lake evaporated the salt was left behind and baked in the sun until it formed rough geometric shapes in the ground. This landscape fit my ‘other-worldly’ brief perfectly and I was excited to see it. But before I left the UK I had learnt of a rare ephemeral lake that had been created by an unusual amount of rain which had washed away these shapes. It was a shame that I would miss these formations, but I was undeterred as I have a fondness for salt flats having seen them in Utah and I knew Death Valley was rich with an abundance of locations that matched my alienesque brief.
I had travelled to Death Valley with my in-law’s, Karen and Andy who live in the Bay Area where I was staying. I had a loose plan to fly to Vegas and travel up to Death Valley but Karen was keen on the road trip and adventure and they were both excited to see me work. Upon arrival in Death Valley, Karen and I went to see Badwater Basin and recce it ahead of my shoot. But after a few minutes of driving in the desert the clouds suddenly exploded with rain and we found ourselves driving in an unusual downpour. When the rain receded the salt flats were slushy and it was clear that I couldn’t shoot here the next morning as I’d hoped. So we headed back to the hotel via another planned location, Zabriskie Point which by now had shrugged off the rain and looked as dry as any desert. The views here were spectacular and there were countless opportunities for places to shoot in, this would be a perfect place to kick off my shoot tomorrow.
I pulled my clothes on and got myself ready. Outside it was dark and quiet, the palm trees that framed our little oasis rustled in the wind and cast eerie shadows. I love this time, the first few hours of dawn when the moon is still high but the rich black sky is beginning to colour. Sirena greeted me outside, that trademark smile still going despite the early hour. The plan was to go to Zabriskie Point which was a short ten minute drive from our hotel and shoot in the soft light of the morning.
This time the journey to Zabriskie Point was pitch back, the desert roads don’t have street lights or cat's eyes; the only markers were the painted lines on the road and the occasional pair of headlights in the distance. I had expected to be alone at this hour, but as we arrived the car park already had about ten cars stationed below the main view point and you could see a number of photographers with tripods set up to await the sunrise. Of COURSE there would be people here to capture this magical place with that light! Sirena and I joked about how we were here to take very different images and we made our way past the landscape photographers and down into the finger-like shapes of the sandy rocks that are so symbolic of this place.
Exploring Zabriskie Point
My idea of shoot planning is very high-level, just location and timing. After that I really enjoy exploring the landscape and being spontaneous and collaborative with the person I am working with. So it is especially nice when I realise that approach is reciprocated and greeted with enthusiasm as it was with Sirena. We wandered through these ancient hills searching out good places to shoot in and moved quickly to make the most of the early soft light.
The big finger-like rocks of Zabriskie Point have a warm colour to them when viewed from afar, but up close they are more like soft yellow earth, an artefact of water rushing down the mountains above us and consistently pushing sediment along the same gullies. My original plan was to shoot from above and show Sirena nestled amongst the interlocking fingers, but in practice these shapes were quite different when we got up close to them. The giant fingers dwarfed Sirenas slight figure and required me to shoot closer to her to ensure these were not landscape shots alone. We mixed overhead shots designed to showcase the location with portraits that focused on Sirena in the environment.
As we walked further into the landscape we came across a huge section of dried mud that covered the ground and my heart leapt. I know this is not for everyone, but this is how my brain works. I like unusual textures to use as a background and ideally something with environmental significance. Dried mud flats had been a big part of my Death Valley mood board and I had read that they were not easy to find here and yet we had literally stumbled upon them. I laughed out loud and was elated to hear Sirena do the same, she knew how important this find was. By now the sun was higher in the sky, but we were still benefiting from the soft dawn light as it bounced around the sandy Zabrinskie walls that loomed over us.
The mud flats were an off white colour and each one was ringed by a wide and dark line cut into the earth that water must have run through. This was a very natural formation, but one that had a consistent pattern to it and as such gave the appearance of terracotta floor tiles. You could imagine them being on the floor of a grand Roman villa. I found myself tip-toeing upon them, not wanting to disturb the shapes whilst looking for a good spot. Sirena had her woollen shawl wrapped around herself once more, the desert being a very cold place until the sun is fully in the sky.
We would shoot in bursts, pausing to allow Sirena to warm up. Lying nude on the cold floor with occasional chill winds can’t be much fun, but Sirena is not new to this and had an air of professionalism about her. Eventually the sun broke and the light crept down the dusty walls of the giant fingers. Grateful for the warmth of the sun, Sirena stood in its path and beamed. But the light was still moving and we used the mix of light and shadows to create some contrasty shots where the light picked out partial body shapes next to the darker background.
Almost feral
By now the sun was higher in the sky, it wasn’t 8 am yet, but we’d already had a productive amount of shooting. We ventured further into the various canyons and settled upon a wide space with a number of these giant creature-like fingers.
Perhaps inspired by the same thought, Sirena’s poses had a rather feral look to them as she stood atop the formations and appeared like she was born of this landscape. It was here that I took one of my favourite shots, it was one that gave us both so much energy, Sirena was just as pleased with it and in that moment we both knew this was going to be a great shoot together.
Happy with our achievements I was all set to head back and have breakfast at the hotel. We retraced our steps and pointed toward what we thought was our entrance. The maze of interlocking rocky fingers all looked the same and we soon realised we were on a different path, but one that ended with a sudden wall of off white rock that had a number of dark concentric circles etched into it. At the top of the circles was an elliptical hole as if someone had poked out the innermost circle to reveal the sky. We both looked at each other and grinned. The best thing about working with art models is that desire to be one with the landscape and seeing opportunities others might miss. As we walked closer, I shared a thought I had had a week earlier. I had seen a hollowed out tree on a beach in Glenn Gove in the Bay Area and took a photo of it. The idea being to share it on Instagram with a pole to ask what people would do when then saw it and pick one of two answers:
It’s a nice tree but I’d walk on by.
Hmm, I wonder if I could fit in there?
Sirena immediately laughed and confirmed that she would have picked option 2.
We took a number of shots in this unique place and then headed back up the canyon to find our car. The sun was high now and rather bizarrely the car park appeared less full, our photographer friends must have headed back for breakfast before us, not distracted by the same photographic opportunities that delayed our return.
Reviewing our shots
We returned to the hotel to rest and recuperate, by now it was 10 am and we’d been up for 5 hours and were due some breakfast. We shared a table in the dining area of the hotel to eat and review our photos. I think this is an important process, to collectively assess our work, agree what worked, what we can improve on and ultimately bond over the images we have both made.
After we confirmed plans for the afternoon we parted company. I was looking forward to some sleep but Karen and Andy were keen to see our photos first. Both of them are rooted in contemporary dance and as such have held an appreciation for my creative side. They have followed my work with interest and this was partly why they were both keen to join me on this particular adventure. It’s always a pleasure to share my photographs especially when they are appreciated by other people who are also naturally creative.
The busy morning and lack of sleep in the night before allowed me to catch up on some much needed sleep. The plan was to rest and then go to Badwater Basin for the hours before and after sunset.
Sirena left her room with the same trademark smile, she was rested and ready to go. The drive to Badwater Basin was hot, the sun reaching into our car and warming up my neck and arms, you wouldn’t want to be exposed to this heat for long without some shade.
The entrance to Badwater Basin is a car park overlooked by giant mountains that tower above it. High above us someone has nailed a sign into the rock that shows where sea level should be as by rights we should be underwater. It was clear that the sunlight was too hard to shoot in, but we were both excited to explore the place all the same. The walk out confirmed that the slushy salt had hardened and was now firm underfoot. What’s more the lake which is simply a couple of inches of water above the hard salt had been blown closer by the wind. After a few hundred metres we left our shoes and waded out into the water. The salt was coarse underfoot and the water was tropically warm, it was a surreal experience. This was a truly magical place and I was excited to try and capture it (press play below to see the lake).
After a short break in the car we headed out across the salt once more and this time armed with cameras. The sun was creeping towards the jagged mountains and the light created longer and soft shadows. This was perfect, well almost. In the short time that we’d been in the car the hard salt surface had become less firm and we both found that our feet would drop several inches into the salt. We carefully headed to a preplanned spot seeking out the firmer ground with each step. Once we’d achieved a safe distance from the few remaining tourists we made camp and set about to take some pictures.
We started with some simple styling using a black dress Sirena had sourced from a thrift store. After that we took some overhead nude shots with my drone that exactly matched the concept I had in mind when I first reached out to Sirena. Her poses were sympathetic to the location and mood, some in profile and others face up like a portrait. In all cases her arm and leg positions continued the feral like theme and she spread her thick black hair in a wild pattern across the salt.
I had wanted a model with dark hair to contrast the white of the salt flats here in this exact location and I quietly smiled to myself when I saw the first few previews. Standing there with bloody heels caused by the sharp salt cutting into my feet I knew I had nailed the image I had pictured in my head thousands of miles away when I first planned this shoot. Sirena would later tell me that she felt creatively full after our shoot together and I knew exactly what she meant.
That evening we shared a meal in the hotel with my in-laws; Karen and Andy, they were keen to hear how our day went and we all agreed that Death Valley had exceeded our expectations. I was tired but content, we had achieved so much already and had another day to go yet. By now we had exercised a number of locations and ideas on my mood board and so I suggested we go to the dunes the next morning that were a 25 min drive from the hotel. The slightly longer journey meant an earlier start than before in order to make best use of the light but Sirena was happy to comply. I packed my camera gear and set my alarm and went straight to sleep.
The next morning I woke to the sound of a gentle tapping on my door. Damn! I’d overslept… I’d managed to set my alarm to 4:45pm and not am! I asked for 2 minutes and grateful that I had laid out my things the night before was quickly outside in the car park.
Just like the day before, the drive was along a dark road and this time the route didn’t appear to have any cars on it. The dunes were in the middle of a flatter area of the valley and the sun would appear here soon. We noticed one lone photographer headed away from us toward the biggest dune (what is it with these photographers…haha). Our path chosen for us, we headed in the opposite way and scaled the dunes. Sirena had come prepared with extra layers and a flask of tea.
Only a month before I was shooting in the Maspalomas dunes of Gran Canaria, but these dunes were different. They were not as tall and were framed by giant mountains in the distance. We used the first moments of the sunrise to take images of the landscape with Sirena centre stage, her poses were now rhythmic and in keeping with the images we both liked from the day before. As the sun got higher we headed down and into the shadows cast by the dunes. In some areas the ground was a hard white surface of cracked mud similar to the mud flats from yesterday. Somewhat predictably I suggested we shoot here and use this similar, but actually different backdrop.
Dunes at dawn
We had a busy but fun morning shooting and then headed back to the hotel for another late breakfast. We repeated the process of reviewing a few of the shots and then resting before going out again for the late afternoon light. By now we had ticked so many of my boxes that I was in bonus territory. This would be our last session together as our two day shoot was coming to an end so I suggested we go back to Zabriskie Point with the intention to shoot amongst harder rocks, the majority of our work so far having a softer background. Sirena mentioned she had seen some interesting rock formations behind her when she was in the circular rocks the day before so that would be our destination.
The now familiar location was busy with tourists eagerly awaiting the sunset. Conscious we needed to put some distance between us and other people we headed off in a different and new direction. We had an hour before the light would get softer and used the time to be tourists ourselves and wandered amongst the lower canyons. At ground level the point of Zabriskie Point is an impressive sight that wouldn’t look out of place in a Lord of the Rings film. But it was here that George Lucas filmed Star Wars. Jabba the Hutt's palace was just around the corner as I would later enjoy telling my son Luke when I got home.
Sirena and I walked deep into the canyon conscious that with each bend we were met with the same giant fingers. Whilst these were beautiful, we were looking for something new, specifically a rocky backdrop. Now and then a jagged edifice would jut out of the walls and justify a break from our hike so as to take a few quick photos. Enjoying a bit of wordplay, we joked that these gaps in our walk were a ‘nude interlude’. We hadn’t seen people for ages, but we were on a marked path in the day so any nude photos would have to be very quick, just in case. Sirena was somehow able to jump into her pose whilst discarding her dress and landing with the grace of a ballet dancer ready for her next position. We took a number of shots like this uninterrupted and then headed back to our chosen location.
The entrance was surprisingly near the car park but was also rather hidden and it was a place that whilst stunning for us, would be impossible to see the sunset from so we knew we would be alone for the remainder of the sunlight. Neither of us had seen this place before and both breathed a quiet ‘wow’ when we saw it. Ahead of us a narrow path had been carved into the orange sandstone. It was like someone had taken a giant ice cream scoop and cut a meandering line out of the rock. This was an epic find!
By now we were fluent in each other's creative approach, I would take reference shots of the scenery and then once we were happy Sinera would find a pose to suit. At one point we found a narrow slice cut out of a wall. Sinera looked at it as if to say ‘I bet I could fit in there’ and moments later, there she was, a human in a rock sandwich.
Our shoot was spread over two days which seemed a short amount of time for a place that covers 3.4 million acres, but our two days together were incredibly fruitful and we had witnessed some remarkable places. After a few more canyon shots we both naturally came to the realisation that the shoot was over. Sirena announced that she was sad that our time here was over so I joked that I had one more frame left and pointed the camera at her. She pulled a big happy smile with her arms outstretched and I took our last shot together (below).
Saying goodbye
It’s funny, when taking art nude shots you adopt a way of working where you forget there is a naked person in front of you. Yes it would be unprofessional to do anything less, but it’s more than that, I see it as a mutual respect for that person that ensures they feel safe. To put it another way, if they didn’t feel safe I would end up with awful photos so I see this as a very important part of taking art nude photos. But it is only when Sirena grinned into the camera for that last shot that I was reminded that there was a regular person next to me who happened to be naked.
We walked back to the car and saw that the sun was still actively painting the sky in a mix of reds and oranges and decided to head back up to the point for one last Death Valley sunset. We both sat down, cameras packed away and just breathed in this view. Death Valley may have gained its name for its formidable environment but it is also a truly beautiful and in many ways unique place. It is so huge, everything is on another scale that really helps to put our time as humans on this planet into perspective.
That evening we enjoyed another meal with Karen and Andy and shared a few examples of our shots from the day. I was reminded of a moment earlier that morning when I found myself saying how privileged I was to be here on top of these dunes, in the middle of this stunning location with a person who shared my need to be creative in nature.
I love taking photos like these, this isn’t just a passion, it is also very cathartic, I genuinely need to exercise that creative muscle. But it’s not just the photos that I enjoy, I like the end to end process. From planning the trip, meeting and getting to know the person I am going to be working with, editing and then printing the images and I even like writing about my photographic adventures.
I started this now rather lengthy story talking about my lack of sleep and am smiling as I explain that I am writing this text in the dark on my iPad whilst sitting in my seat on the plane home. My fellow passengers are tucked up, fast asleep but my brain is still busy, excited about this wonderful trip that is still fresh in my mind.
Below are a few BTS snaps from our trip. As I shoot, I always share my camera with the person I am working with so they can see our work as we progress. Hence the number of BTS shots of Sirena hoding a camera.
