Mud Ecstasy: Playing with Dirt in Death Valley
Written by Ron Coscorrosa
When I was a young man, I didn't envision that I would spend much of my adult life obsessed with mud and dirt. That's okay though, because I was an idiot as a young man (still am one, but was one too...).
After returning from four weeks in New Zealand, Sarah and I were jet-lagged, exhausted, and needed to rest and recuperate before our next photo outing. Instead of doing that, which is boring, we impulsively drove 700 miles to Death Valley to photograph the re-emergence of Lake Manly. (Lake Manly is the rare, ephemeral lake that forms in the lowest elevation areas of Death Valley, like Badwater Basin, after very significant rain events.) We were in Death Valley for a little more than a week and while we enjoyed Lake Manly and photographed it several times, we became (re)obsessed with newly formed mud patterns and focused much of our attention there.
This post includes a few highlights and you can see my full gallery from that week here. If you are a true aficionado who can't get enough mud, you can also visit my mud gallery.
Here's to playing in dirt - not just for kids!
Dirt, Sand, Light
Texture Overload
Sand Mud Sand
Shadow Separation
Smallest Dunes
It Starts with an Ending
Texture Interfaces
Freshly Rolled
Cracks in the Foundation
Silver Ribbons
Pink Dunes
Peeled Around
You Don't Know How it Peels
Polished and Pink
Dawn Sketches
Peels and Peels and Peels
