California Photo Scout

Salt Pan Ground

Badwater Viewpoint is the most visited attraction in Death Valley. It is the lowest point on the northern hemisphere, with an elevation of 282ft below sea level (-86m). This makes Badwater interesting to all tourists who come here to experience not only the lowest point, but also one of the hottest places in Death Valley and the only place with permanent pools of water. The spring fed pools are home to small creatures.

Recently, the park service installed a wooden walkway around the pools to limit human impact on the delicate ecosystems. This limits photography around this area, but Badwater itself is not as interesting as the salt pan that you can reach from Badwater.

How to get there

Take the Badwater road (Highway 178) from Highway 190. Follow it to the Badwater parking area on your right. Park your car and walk about 20 minutes along the path out to the salt pan. Follow the trampled path until it loses itself further out.

Come early, if you plan a sunset shoot, to find a good area or scout it out before and mark the location on a GPS for further reference. I always carry a GPS with Topographical Maps on my tips. Bring a strong flashlight and a GPS to find your way for sunrise photography.

GPS position

Badwater parking: N36 13.790 W116 46.043

Salt pan polygons: N36 13.872 W116 46.816

How to photograph Badwater Viewpoint and the Salt Pan Polygons of Death Valley

Exposure and Depth of Field

Salt Pan Vertical

Just like photographing in the snow, the mostly bright white foreground will fool your camera’s exposure. Automatic exposure systems deliver good results under normal contrast conditions. They simply adjust the overall brightness to a mid-level. When the subject is mostly white, the camera will automatically under-expose, trying to adjust the averaged brightness of the image to mid-level.

Depending on the amount of white in your photograph, you need to overexpose up to two stops or use manual exposure altogether.

Technical points (skip if you are not technically minded)

To get the maximum sharpness and depth of field, I usually set my camera to aperture priority and dial in the smallest possible aperture that still ensures that my camera is not diffraction limited. I wrote an article about diffraction limits some time ago that has a table for reference. Then I use my histogram (RGB is best) to find the correct exposure. Make sure your histogram is as far to the right as possible, without clipping. Here I am referring to the technique of exposing to the right by M. Reichmann.

Now I set my camera to the hyperfocal distance for the given focal length and the aperture I determined via diffraction limits. You need to do this only once for your camera and only for a couple of focal lengths. For instance, I know that on the XSi the diffraction limit starts at f/9 and that I can set my wide-angle lens to 2m to get everything sharp in the distance and close.

Composition

Contours and geometric pattern on the salt give you a wide range of compositional choices. I prefer to use a wide-angle lens and a low perspective to achieve striking compositions. Look for lines leading your viewers into the picture and remain agile. Move around, since even a small change in your position can result in very different photographs.

Include other photographers in your composition to add a reference and a point of interest. Place them in one of the power points (Golden division or rule of thirds, Fibonacci division).

Emphasize distance by shooting vertical images and emphasize the wide-open space by shooting horizontal images. You should always shoot both types and leave some space for cropping or text if you plan to sell your photographs.

Frame tight without including the horizon to create the illusion of infinity.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Early spring and winter are best. You can see the pools at Badwater year round, but avoid the salt pan during the hotter days, since the reflected sunlight will quickly cook you.

Early mornings are popular at Badwater to bring out the pastel colors. Later during the day, the light is very harsh. Sunset is good too.

Time required

From the Badwater parking lot you need to walk about 20 minutes out and 20 minutes back.

Equipment

• Wide-angle lens
• Polarizing filter
• Tripod
• At least 1 liter (1 quart) of water for each hour during the day
• Flashlight or Headlamp
• GPS if you plan to hike further out or if you scouted the area
• Sunglasses (the salt is very bright and your eyes will hurt without them)
• A baseball cap or hat for shade
• Sun cream (put plenty of it on to protect yourself from the sun and reflected sunlight as well as the salt that gets to your skin)

Fees

Death Valley entrance fee is $20 per car. The Park Service accepts your Interagency Pass or Golden Eagle Pass and standard elderly discounts apply.

Difficulty Getting There

The hike from Badwater is easy but the white salt reflects the sunlight and you will heat up like a potato in a microwave. The salt will get in your shoes, skin and gear.

Close Locations in Death Valley

• Zabriskie Point
• Dante’s View
• Badwater Basin
• Artist’s Drive and Mushroom Rock
• Furnace Creek
• Mesquite Flat Dunes (near Stovepipe Wells)
• Mosaic Canyon
• Harrisburg Ghost Town
• Skidoo Ghost  Town
• Death Valley Wildflower Update
• Death Valley Racetrack

Close Locations outside Death Valley

• Rhyolite Ghost Town and Goldwell Open Air Museum
• Trona Pinnacles
• Ballarat Ghost Town
• Rhyolite Ghost Town

Useful Resources

NPS Death Valley Pages

My Death Valley Photos

Badwater Wikipedia Page

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