The Advantages of Winter Light

The Advantages of Winter Light
A while back I noticed that some photos I took of sand dunes in Death Valley looked particularly good. I suspected that it was the compass direction of the sun: it was shining at an angle close to the orientation of parallel ridges, so undulations in the dunes were showing some nice highlights and shadows.

I tested the concept on following trips when the sun was at a similar compass angle, and that didn't seem to fully explain what was great about the original light and images.

Recently I was calculating what size and placement of overhang would be necessary to provide passive solar energy: to shade a window in the summer, while allowing sunlight to stream in and heat the house in the winter. The results explained a lot.

In the summer here at about 38 degrees latitude the sun gets about 76 degrees high. In December close to the winter solstice, it only gets 30 degrees high. I live in the Eastern Sierra, and the sun elevation is within a degree in the entire Yosemite - Eastern Sierra - Death Valley area. In March when most people are visiting Death Valley in the opes of spring wildflowers, or late September through October when people are starting to look at the Eastern Sierra and Yosemite for fall colors, the sun gets 54 degrees high. So in the entire spring through summer and fall time period, the sun is about twice as high as the weeks around late December.

So in the sand dunes in Death Valley, the low angle light really brings out their textures and undulations.

I've added December Mono lake and Death Valley workshops to my 2019 schedule and I'll probably add dates in January 2020 as well. I don't know how many people will be able to escape from the common holiday madness around that time of year, but I'll offer some nice options for the photographers who can!
https://www.jeffsullivanphotography.com/blog/death-valley-photography-workshop-2013/

Expanded with more photos on my blog:
https://www.jeffsullivanphotography.com/blog/2019/02/06/the-advantages-of-winter-light/

#landscapephotography #photographyworkshops #deathvalley