This guy is a peaceful soul. I love the way. He presents his photographic journeys… No pretentiousness. Just good old-school photography. I appreciate it.
Thanks Annie! It was a strange situation for sure though sadly not entirely unexpected. This was on a Friday night and the weekend crowd is an entirely different animal. Best observed from afar from the safety of a blind.
That camp poaching incident is why I find activities in proximity to other humans such a drag. So, I only ever bother camping during the winter. I know Death Valley ain't cold during the winter but other places, like Bryce Canyon, Zion, etc, certainly don't get as many visitors during the winter.
Yeah, there's something to be said about camping during the offseason that's so much nicer. While going on these trips I often lose track of what day of the week it is, but once Friday evening rolls around, it's quite evident by the arrival of the weekend crowd. They're a loud and unruly bunch.
#1 was fine, but I really loved the composition and lighting on #2. I think that may be my favorite of your work in some time. So sorry about your run-in with the poacher. People can be the worst, those in particular who don’t seem to understand how precious our time here is, and how important it is to act with decency. Wonder if they’ll ever come to have any regrets? In any case, your instincts were correct: it definitely wasn’t anything worth hassling over.
Aaah, mindfulness in a video. Loved the last image in particular. You were commendably restrained in dealing with the campsite stealer and I hope you also had the wisdom to leave his remains somewhere that the wildlife will benefit...
It sure is a fascinating place, and I love doing those wide shots and canyon shots to give a better feel for it. The scale is difficult to comprehend at times. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I think these two images are the best from your entire DV 2024 trip. I think it wise to have given up your poached campsite. If you had angered the guy, no telling what he might have done to your or your stuff. Finally, I can't believe the amount of effort required to film this. Back and forth, back and forth. One day, maybe in your lifetime, you'll have a little 4 legged robot that can film you as you walk away or run ahead and film you coming. One minor point is that sometimes your pack is full gear with tripod and sometimes it is only partially full, slightly impinging on the illusion that we are watching you hike exactly as it happened.
There was a detail about the campsite incident I left out in the video. It was a group of 4 women, so there was an odd power dynamic that I was was quick to avoid. I can only imagine what could have transpired if I pushed the issue about the campsite. Now if only drones were legal in these places, I could have it sitting on a rock down below recording as I scramble up, then I could have it fly up to me so I could throw it in my bag and keep going. Forget the drone shots where it follows people and stuff.... just having it catch up to me would be nice. :-) When it comes to tripods, I have a dedicated tripod for the 8x10, and a much smaller and lighter one for the video camera. You'll never see the video one since it's in use while filming, but the tripod for the 8x10 is something I will only have with me if I'm planning on taking a photo. That one stays strapped to my bag, but I carry the video tripod in my hand. It's just easier that way.
I love the rock in the mud. Reminds me so much of the television public service announcement "The More You Know" star and tail. Also, love the tour of the side canyons. Thanks again as always for sharing your adventure!
Amazing how pleasing an image of a rock in the mud can be, lovely. The loss of the original campsite is unfortunate, glad it didn't spoil your trip. Safe travels.
It still seems quite strange why they would knowingly put their tag on a site that already had a tag when others were available down the hill. Oh well. People being people. Thanks for watching!
That canyon was all that. Thanks for the video. I went to Death Valley in 2009 and really only got a taste of it. It's a lot harder to photograph than I had expected, and that was with a hand-held camera.
It's a location that can be quite frustrating at times from a photographic standpoint. It has only been in the past several years or so that I've developed a different understanding of the landscape that has been beneficial for finding subjects.
Yeah, it's one of those things that wasn't entirely unexpected. Following this incident I bought some collapsible neon green traffic cones to leave behind at the site. In the past I left a chair, but then someone stole the chair and someone else stole the site. Can't win.
It really did leave a mark in that canyon. I compared my photos from last year to the conditions this year to see if the height of the canyon floor changed at all with all the debris. It seems about the same, but was certainly reworked significantly. I love how clean that canyon is with such steep walls yet an uncluttered canyon floor.
Thank you for this beautiful video, incredible location but in the sand given by mother nature, great, great, hopefully everything is fine in the storm and nothing serious, normal, thank you for the video, stay healthy Greetings Martin.
Thanks Martin! It sure was a fun scene to find, and I'm glad the conditions cooperated. I had the same thought about it looking like a meteor/meteorite. Kinda funny how it looks like it's flying through space yet it's a rock on the ground, so it could go either way. I also thought it looked like a rock being tossed through a window.
Can't believe someone snagged your campsite that was already tagged site. I agree with your assessment of humans. Nonetheless, looks like a fruitful trip, and glad it didn't bum you out for the remainder. I envisioned a bigger scene of the pattern in the dirt/gravel. Your composition is far better than what I'd originally envisioned you were photographing. The image with the stone in the mud is fascinating as well.
Thanks Terry! I had gone cycling again the day my site was stolen, so I probably still had some feel-good endorphins flowing through my veins when I got back to camp and saw the site was stolen. The weekend crowd never disappoints.
That rock embedded in the mud cracks is fantastic. It has a Racetrack Playa feel with the rock trail behind it, mixed in with the mud cracks. Very cool Ben
Thanks Josh! It sure was a fun scene to find that incorporated all of those elements. That area was still quite wet when I arrived in DV, so it was fun to see the newly dried mud that was so very clean. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Good stuff, Ben. Watching your videos always makes me feel like I'm tagging along. In the photo of the sand pattern, I feel the composition would be cleaner without the cluster of sticks in the upper right corner. Thoughts? i do agree that it has a nice flow and calm color palette.
Thanks Ryan! I didn't clone out that branch for the image in the video, but I did for the version on my website. Although I've adopted more of a wabi sabi approach to small distractions in recent years, distractions along the edge or corner will always be eye magnets and are best to avoid. I saw that branch while composing but there wasn't an ideal way to avoid it without spoiling the composition I had in mind. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Love both the images Ben. The hike into the canyon sure did not look like much fun, especially having to go back and forth to collect your video camera. Best to avoid conflict for sure and just put it down to interesting experience. I have had people stand right in front of my camera to take the same image so we just laugh it off! Zen and the art of photography would be good tile for your book. Thanks as always for sharing.
What a great way to wrap up the trip (well not the poaching, but definitely the way you handled it and felt about it). I hope both of those make it into the portfolio. The rock in the mud looks a little like a solidarity fist, death valley keeping you going strong.
Thanks Mitch! I thought the same about the rock looking like a fist. It's interesting how small scenes like that can tell the story of the greater landscape. Thanks as always for watching and commenting!
One thing about this years visit (and yes, I'm visually imprinting from seeing years of your videos), is the feeling of destruction and renewal. Gone are the trails, footprints, and wind blown debris (human and natural). I luv this season... (Also, any chance you are planning to go back to the White's?). Thanks again for all your work.
Thanks! Yeah, that was a theme for sure. It was fascinating to see all the changes in the park both from the huge storm in August but also the storm that swept through only a few days before my visit. I don't think I'll be going up to the White mountains this year, but we'll see. That's usually when I get very busy working on the print portfolios, and in the blink of an eye my fall trip is fast approaching. Kinda strange how that works. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Beautiful stuff... always confused on the large format lenses... 200mm on my Canon R5 would give me a photo of a handful of grains of sand at that distance :) completely agree on the human animal.
Yeah, it's kinda funny how that works with the focal lengths. It also has a big impact on depth of field. It's strange having the DOF of a 240mm lens on a full frame camera, but the angle of view of a 28mm lens. Thanks as always for watching and commenting Robert!
The stone embedded in the mud shot with that comet effect was very nice. Is the right top edge of the sand flow photo where you have included the weed or something deliberate ? Always nice watching your videos Ben!
Thanks Vishwas! That's a dead branch from one of the plants up on the hill. I wasn't able to avoid it while composing, but I cloned it out for the version that's currently on my website. It's definitely something I noticed while framing the photo on the ground glass. Thanks as always for watching and commenting!
I thought Furnace Creek was a reservation campground? Was there not an attendant to speak to it were you in one of the other campgrounds which are not reservation? Just another reason to prefer dispersed camping. Anyway, regarding your photos, I'm going to agree that the stone in the mud flat shot is absolutely wonderful. It was a very productive trip for you.
This was at Texas Springs campground which is a first come, first served campground. The weekday campers are great, but the weekend crew are the troublemakers. I spoke to the campground host, but knew it would just be easier for me to forfeit my campsite than deal with the weekend crew.
Wow, if they wanted the camp site and not come off as complete DB's they could have removed your tag and told you that the clip was empty when they arrived. But no, they fully wanted you to know their true character. I would have taken a very detailed 8x10 photograph of them enjoying your spot.
That line speaks volumes Humans are my least favorite Animal ,thats is exactly what i say people are nuts destroying your camp they have nothing better to do with their lives .Anyways stunning images like always n i really enjoy your videos n photography.
Thanks Juan! Yeah, it's kinda sad how some people are able to justify such things. It speaks of a selfishness in modern society. Thanks as always for watching, and commenting!
In you’re opening shot, I noticed you taking an incident reading of light reflected off a gray card, is this better then taking an incident reading from the subject?
The problem with using an incident meter is the inability to verify how bright or dark each subject will be after the fact. You're just given a meter reading and have to assume it's ideal for the subject. When working with transparency film in particular, you have to fine tune the exposure for the brightness or darkness of the subject and not just for the brightness of the light. By spot metering a gray card, I can then log that reading into memory, hit the average button, then evaluate exactly how bright or dark each subject is by looking through the spot meter. It's a very fast and accurate way to meter. There are other techniques I use as well, including averaging the light and dark tones. In general though, metering off a gray card is fast and effective.
How come the “UA-cam algorithm” just only now show me that you’ve posted your Death Valley winter 24 series only now ?? Well… at least I have 4 more episodes I can watch 🤷🏻♂️ Also be careful going over boulders… you wouldn’t want it to roll and have your arm pin down or anything 😅😅
I'm sure it's because UA-cam frowns upon my lack of ads. :-) Doesn't surprise me really. Those boulder piles were fun to scramble over, but yeah, if anything moved it would be bad news for sure. Those things were huge. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sucks about the jack ass and the campsite. That is why I always bring a crappy little tent that I leave at the campsite if I am going scouting/shooting. Yes, people suck.
In the past I would leave a chair behind, but one year when I did that someone stole the chair, then someone else stole my site. Can't really win. Tents are a tricky thing to leave behind because it can be calm one moment, then 50mph gusts of wind the next and the ground doesn't hold stakes very well. Following this trip I bought a couple of collapsible neon green traffic cones to leave behind. We'll see if it works, or if people just ignore it. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Hi Ben I hope you are well, I totally agree with you on what you said about "humans", I think so too.
Very beautiful photographs!
This guy is a peaceful soul. I love the way. He presents his photographic journeys… No pretentiousness. Just good old-school photography. I appreciate it.
Thanks for watching Jason!
Thanks Ben. Very much appreciated. That's the right attitude, we need less conflict in this world. Not more. Best regards, Annie
Thanks Annie! It was a strange situation for sure though sadly not entirely unexpected. This was on a Friday night and the weekend crowd is an entirely different animal. Best observed from afar from the safety of a blind.
that rock in the mud? I have no words. It's perfect :-)
Thanks! It sure was a fun scene to find and a nice way to round out the trip.
That camp poaching incident is why I find activities in proximity to other humans such a drag. So, I only ever bother camping during the winter. I know Death Valley ain't cold during the winter but other places, like Bryce Canyon, Zion, etc, certainly don't get as many visitors during the winter.
Yeah, there's something to be said about camping during the offseason that's so much nicer. While going on these trips I often lose track of what day of the week it is, but once Friday evening rolls around, it's quite evident by the arrival of the weekend crowd. They're a loud and unruly bunch.
#1 was fine, but I really loved the composition and lighting on #2. I think that may be my favorite of your work in some time.
So sorry about your run-in with the poacher. People can be the worst, those in particular who don’t seem to understand how precious our time here is, and how important it is to act with decency. Wonder if they’ll ever come to have any regrets? In any case, your instincts were correct: it definitely wasn’t anything worth hassling over.
Nothing like that soothing sound of boots crunching gravel in a slot canyon.
It sure is a lovely sound. Thanks as always!
Aaah, mindfulness in a video. Loved the last image in particular. You were commendably restrained in dealing with the campsite stealer and I hope you also had the wisdom to leave his remains somewhere that the wildlife will benefit...
Haha! One of the may times I wish I had a squadron of attack crows. :-)
That walking around in mid section of the video gives a great feeling to the scale of the location. Thanks again.
It sure is a fascinating place, and I love doing those wide shots and canyon shots to give a better feel for it. The scale is difficult to comprehend at times. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I think these two images are the best from your entire DV 2024 trip. I think it wise to have given up your poached campsite. If you had angered the guy, no telling what he might have done to your or your stuff. Finally, I can't believe the amount of effort required to film this. Back and forth, back and forth. One day, maybe in your lifetime, you'll have a little 4 legged robot that can film you as you walk away or run ahead and film you coming. One minor point is that sometimes your pack is full gear with tripod and sometimes it is only partially full, slightly impinging on the illusion that we are watching you hike exactly as it happened.
There was a detail about the campsite incident I left out in the video. It was a group of 4 women, so there was an odd power dynamic that I was was quick to avoid. I can only imagine what could have transpired if I pushed the issue about the campsite.
Now if only drones were legal in these places, I could have it sitting on a rock down below recording as I scramble up, then I could have it fly up to me so I could throw it in my bag and keep going. Forget the drone shots where it follows people and stuff.... just having it catch up to me would be nice. :-) When it comes to tripods, I have a dedicated tripod for the 8x10, and a much smaller and lighter one for the video camera. You'll never see the video one since it's in use while filming, but the tripod for the 8x10 is something I will only have with me if I'm planning on taking a photo. That one stays strapped to my bag, but I carry the video tripod in my hand. It's just easier that way.
@@BenHorne Thank you for the additional information.
I love the rock in the mud. Reminds me so much of the television public service announcement "The More You Know" star and tail. Also, love the tour of the side canyons. Thanks again as always for sharing your adventure!
Yup! I totally see that. Thanks as always Bryan!
Amazing how pleasing an image of a rock in the mud can be, lovely. The loss of the original campsite is unfortunate, glad it didn't spoil your trip. Safe travels.
It still seems quite strange why they would knowingly put their tag on a site that already had a tag when others were available down the hill. Oh well. People being people. Thanks for watching!
Love those raindrops!
Thanks! The raindrops sure were a nice and unexpected addition to the scene. I definitely lucked out with that one.
That canyon was all that. Thanks for the video. I went to Death Valley in 2009 and really only got a taste of it. It's a lot harder to photograph than I had expected, and that was with a hand-held camera.
It's a location that can be quite frustrating at times from a photographic standpoint. It has only been in the past several years or so that I've developed a different understanding of the landscape that has been beneficial for finding subjects.
Great work, Ben . Yes, "Rock in Mud" is a winner. It's sad, you just can't get away from Knuckle-heads, sometimes. Thanks.KB
Yeah, it's one of those things that wasn't entirely unexpected. Following this incident I bought some collapsible neon green traffic cones to leave behind at the site. In the past I left a chair, but then someone stole the chair and someone else stole the site. Can't win.
crazy how the erosion made that canyon at 6:27 look so different
It really did leave a mark in that canyon. I compared my photos from last year to the conditions this year to see if the height of the canyon floor changed at all with all the debris. It seems about the same, but was certainly reworked significantly. I love how clean that canyon is with such steep walls yet an uncluttered canyon floor.
I received Mail from San Diego yesterday. What a nice and very cool surprise! Thank you vm and keep it going, Kevin S., Germany
Glad you enjoyed it. :-)
Thank you for this beautiful video, incredible location but in the sand given by mother nature, great, great, hopefully everything is fine in the storm and nothing serious, normal, thank you for the video, stay healthy Greetings Martin.
Thank you as always Martin! Death Valley sure is a wonderful place to spend time. I look forward to heading back again next year.
Closed captions from 9:00 to 9:40 👏
Haha! Yeah, it's funny how it interprets crunching gravel as applause.
Thanks for sharing your adventures.
So glad you enjoyed it Scot!
Rock in the cracked mud has serious meteor vibes (or meteorite, as it’s actually on the ground, think that’s how it works :/ ) Awesome stuff, Ben 🙌🏻
Thanks Martin! It sure was a fun scene to find, and I'm glad the conditions cooperated. I had the same thought about it looking like a meteor/meteorite. Kinda funny how it looks like it's flying through space yet it's a rock on the ground, so it could go either way. I also thought it looked like a rock being tossed through a window.
Great photographs! Having a positive experience is important, its what makes your vids so inspiring.
Thanks Patrick! Positivity is definitely key.
Ben, maybe you could make a video of the "not so pleasant" side of your travels.
Some of that is in my eBooks with my written journals. ;-)
Can't believe someone snagged your campsite that was already tagged site. I agree with your assessment of humans.
Nonetheless, looks like a fruitful trip, and glad it didn't bum you out for the remainder. I envisioned a bigger scene of the pattern in the dirt/gravel. Your composition is far better than what I'd originally envisioned you were photographing. The image with the stone in the mud is fascinating as well.
Thanks Terry! I had gone cycling again the day my site was stolen, so I probably still had some feel-good endorphins flowing through my veins when I got back to camp and saw the site was stolen. The weekend crowd never disappoints.
having relaxed weekend at home watching video... Thanks
Thanks as always Ryan!
That rock embedded in the mud cracks is fantastic. It has a Racetrack Playa feel with the rock trail behind it, mixed in with the mud cracks. Very cool Ben
Thanks Josh! It sure was a fun scene to find that incorporated all of those elements. That area was still quite wet when I arrived in DV, so it was fun to see the newly dried mud that was so very clean. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Just brilliant Martin
Thanks Steven!
Another Great Trip Ben!
Thanks as always Brad!
Good stuff, Ben. Watching your videos always makes me feel like I'm tagging along. In the photo of the sand pattern, I feel the composition would be cleaner without the cluster of sticks in the upper right corner. Thoughts? i do agree that it has a nice flow and calm color palette.
Thanks Ryan! I didn't clone out that branch for the image in the video, but I did for the version on my website. Although I've adopted more of a wabi sabi approach to small distractions in recent years, distractions along the edge or corner will always be eye magnets and are best to avoid. I saw that branch while composing but there wasn't an ideal way to avoid it without spoiling the composition I had in mind. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Love both the images Ben. The hike into the canyon sure did not look like much fun, especially having to go back and forth to collect your video camera. Best to avoid conflict for sure and just put it down to interesting experience. I have had people stand right in front of my camera to take the same image so we just laugh it off! Zen and the art of photography would be good tile for your book. Thanks as always for sharing.
Thanks Ash! Yeah, people being people. Never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for watching!
Nice images, Ben. Good trip too.
Thanks as always Prashant!
What a great way to wrap up the trip (well not the poaching, but definitely the way you handled it and felt about it). I hope both of those make it into the portfolio. The rock in the mud looks a little like a solidarity fist, death valley keeping you going strong.
Thanks Mitch! I thought the same about the rock looking like a fist. It's interesting how small scenes like that can tell the story of the greater landscape. Thanks as always for watching and commenting!
One thing about this years visit (and yes, I'm visually imprinting from seeing years of your videos), is the feeling of destruction and renewal. Gone are the trails, footprints, and wind blown debris (human and natural). I luv this season... (Also, any chance you are planning to go back to the White's?). Thanks again for all your work.
Thanks! Yeah, that was a theme for sure. It was fascinating to see all the changes in the park both from the huge storm in August but also the storm that swept through only a few days before my visit. I don't think I'll be going up to the White mountains this year, but we'll see. That's usually when I get very busy working on the print portfolios, and in the blink of an eye my fall trip is fast approaching. Kinda strange how that works. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Enjoyed this thanks Ben - Next time
Thanks Mark!
I’m right along with you preferring the company of wind and sun over that of humans
Add a dog to the mix and it's the perfect combo!
Great as always. Sorry about the attack of the Jawas though
Haha! There were certainly some glowing eyes among that group. :-)
Beautiful stuff... always confused on the large format lenses... 200mm on my Canon R5 would give me a photo of a handful of grains of sand at that distance :) completely agree on the human animal.
Yeah, it's kinda funny how that works with the focal lengths. It also has a big impact on depth of field. It's strange having the DOF of a 240mm lens on a full frame camera, but the angle of view of a 28mm lens. Thanks as always for watching and commenting Robert!
The stone embedded in the mud shot with that comet effect was very nice. Is the right top edge of the sand flow photo where you have included the weed or something deliberate ? Always nice watching your videos Ben!
Thanks Vishwas! That's a dead branch from one of the plants up on the hill. I wasn't able to avoid it while composing, but I cloned it out for the version that's currently on my website. It's definitely something I noticed while framing the photo on the ground glass. Thanks as always for watching and commenting!
Sorry to hear about your camp site Ben. Shame on that person.
People have a tendency to be people. It wasn't entirely unexpected. Thanks for watching!
@@BenHorne Do the rangers not have a record for the payment of the site?
I thought Furnace Creek was a reservation campground? Was there not an attendant to speak to it were you in one of the other campgrounds which are not reservation? Just another reason to prefer dispersed camping. Anyway, regarding your photos, I'm going to agree that the stone in the mud flat shot is absolutely wonderful. It was a very productive trip for you.
This was at Texas Springs campground which is a first come, first served campground. The weekday campers are great, but the weekend crew are the troublemakers. I spoke to the campground host, but knew it would just be easier for me to forfeit my campsite than deal with the weekend crew.
Love the rock photo Ben, as for the poachers, not so much! 🤬
Wow, if they wanted the camp site and not come off as complete DB's they could have removed your tag and told you that the clip was empty when they arrived. But no, they fully wanted you to know their true character. I would have taken a very detailed 8x10 photograph of them enjoying your spot.
Yeah, I'm not quite sure what their justification was by placing their tag over the top of mine. It was strange for sure.
That line speaks volumes Humans are my least favorite Animal ,thats is exactly what i say people are nuts destroying your camp they have nothing better to do with their lives .Anyways stunning images like always n i really enjoy your videos n photography.
Thanks Juan! Yeah, it's kinda sad how some people are able to justify such things. It speaks of a selfishness in modern society. Thanks as always for watching, and commenting!
In you’re opening shot, I noticed you taking an incident reading of light reflected off a gray card, is this better then taking an incident reading from the subject?
The problem with using an incident meter is the inability to verify how bright or dark each subject will be after the fact. You're just given a meter reading and have to assume it's ideal for the subject. When working with transparency film in particular, you have to fine tune the exposure for the brightness or darkness of the subject and not just for the brightness of the light. By spot metering a gray card, I can then log that reading into memory, hit the average button, then evaluate exactly how bright or dark each subject is by looking through the spot meter. It's a very fast and accurate way to meter. There are other techniques I use as well, including averaging the light and dark tones. In general though, metering off a gray card is fast and effective.
They're my least favorite animal as well, Ben. 😁
Sounds like I need to get some shirts made that say that. :-) Thanks for watching David!
How come the “UA-cam algorithm” just only now show me that you’ve posted your Death Valley winter 24 series only now ??
Well… at least I have 4 more episodes I can watch 🤷🏻♂️
Also be careful going over boulders… you wouldn’t want it to roll and have your arm pin down or anything 😅😅
I'm sure it's because UA-cam frowns upon my lack of ads. :-) Doesn't surprise me really. Those boulder piles were fun to scramble over, but yeah, if anything moved it would be bad news for sure. Those things were huge. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sucks about the jack ass and the campsite. That is why I always bring a crappy little tent that I leave at the campsite if I am going scouting/shooting. Yes, people suck.
In the past I would leave a chair behind, but one year when I did that someone stole the chair, then someone else stole my site. Can't really win. Tents are a tricky thing to leave behind because it can be calm one moment, then 50mph gusts of wind the next and the ground doesn't hold stakes very well. Following this trip I bought a couple of collapsible neon green traffic cones to leave behind. We'll see if it works, or if people just ignore it. Thanks for watching and commenting!