California Photo Scout

Badwater Basin Mud Flats

The Badwater Basin, the area south of the Badwater Viewpoint and Boardwalk, offers some of the most prolific photo opportunities in Death Valley. Although Badwater Viewpoint is one of the most photographed and most visited areas, not too many people find their way passed it. No point is marked on a map and no designated parking area is telling prospective photographers where to take their shots.

Many people visiting Death Valley miss this remarkable area. The varying topography and changing weather and light as well as the remoteness guarantee that you will be able to bag some unique shots if you choose to come here.

How to get there

Drive along Highway 178 south of the Badwater Viewpoint parking lot and observe the flats. Park anywhere on the shoulder and hike a few hundred yards (meters) out to take a survey of the area. Some subjects are close to the road (Devils Salty Nuts and Mirage below) and some require a short distance hike (Mud flat picture above). The good thing is that you can hardly miss out, since good photographs hide everywhere. Stick to a place closer to the road if your time is limited.

GPS position

• N36 09.407 W116 46.536

How to photograph Badwater Basin in Death Valley

In my previous article on Badwater Viewpoint, I gave a few tips that also apply here, since some of the landscape is similar.

Focus stacking

Devil's salty nuts

Creating photographs with a large depth of field can be challenging once you consider the diffraction limitations of your camera. If you decrease the aperture beyond a certain point, dictated by the pixel size of your camera, the light waves will bend more and create less sharp pictures. Check the linked article or just trust me on this.

If you need a nearly infinite depth of field, you can try a technique like focus stacking:

1. Mount your camera on a tripod
2. Focus to infinity and take a shot, then turn the lens in fixed angular increments from infinity to the closest focusing distance, taking a shot for each focus setting.
3. Combine the images with software like Photo Acute Studio, CombineZM or Helicon Focus (Tip: CombineZM is freeware)

Scouting

The harsh sunlight during the day can wash out the colors. Mark potential locations for sunset shoots on your GPS for later reference. Keep a visual diary or remember some of the strongest combinations so that you can use them depending on the weather and the clouds. Some foregrounds look better with certain types of weather patterns and cloudscapes than others do. Depending on the prevailing conditions during sunset, you will already know where to go.

Mirage

The water surface in the picture below is actually a mirage. There was no water, only salt flat.

mirage in Death valley

As the road slopes along the salt pan, you will have many views across the flat salt. The air above it heats up, creating mirages. On hot days, you can see cars reflecting on the asphalt in many areas of California and other southern states. Those are mirages, too.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

Winter and spring are the best seasons for photography in Death Valley. Especially the area around Badwater gets extremely hot in summer, making this one of the most unforgiving places on Earth. Spend your days at higher elevations if you happen to be around during that time and only come down here for sunrise photography, as the mornings are quite cool.

Sunrise and sunset offer the best light, but to see a mirage you need to come during the hot day.

Time required

You can easily spend half a day or longer in the area and you will not run out of things to photograph. Mindful photographers will find a countless number of compositions and the solitude that you can find here will only enhance your experience. You need about two hours to find a couple of good spots and to take the time to photograph them.

Equipment

• Sun cream
• Shade (hat, umbrella)
• Plenty of water
• Good shoes
• GPS with topo maps
• Lenses of all focal length
• Plenty of storage
• Tripod and cable release (focus stacking and magic hour shooting)
• Hiking pole
• Flashlight

Fees

Badwater lies within Death Valley. National park fees apply.

Difficulty Getting There

Wear good shoes and pay attention to the ground as you hike out into the mud and salt flat. During winter and spring it can be slippery wet and in summer and fall rocky and hard. If you twist an ankle, you still have to hike out on your own. Cell phones do not work here, so take a GPS device with you and mark your car location should you decide to venture out farther. Observe the footsteps left by others to see if there are any muddy areas. Extend one leg of your tripod and use it as a hiking pole if you have to.

Close Locations in Death Valley

• Badwater Viewpoint
• Artist’s Drive and Mushroom Rock
• Ashford Mill
• Zabriskie Point
• Dante’s View
• Furnace Creek
• Mesquite Flat Dunes (near Stovepipe Wells)
• Mosaic Canyon
• Death Valley Wildflower Update
• Death Valley Racetrack

Close Locations outside Death Valley

• Rhandsburg Ghost Town
• Trona Pinnacles
• Ballarat Ghost Town
• Kelso Dunes (Mojave National Preserve)
• Pisgah Crater
• Rhyolite Ghost Town

Useful Resources

• NPS Death Valley Pages
• My Death Valley Photos

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