Death Valley National Park, California | Tennessee State Museum 2016

Located in the scorching reaches of the Mojave Desert, Death Valley is one of the hottest places on earth and the lowest point in North America. The low elevation, arid conditions, and wind currents have conspired to create temperatures of up to 134 degrees fahrenheit – the hottest ever recorded on the surface of the earth. This heat, however, coupled with the erosive conditions of the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains, have created spectacular valleys, salt pans, and seas of sand dunes.

This piece comes alive with symbolism in the classic play of light and dark, a capture of the largest sandstorm of the season rushing up to meet the sunrise in a clash of giants. I was perched on this dune watching the first light of morning, and I saw the clouds creeping up in the distance and wondered which would claim the sky first. The exposure of Clash was the last frame I could capture before being consumed in the ferocity of the storm. In fact, the storm was so nasty it snow capped the mountains, washed out several park roads, and nearly blew me off of the dunes – coating me in sand and rain.

I very rarely have human elements in my work, choosing instead to focus on the subtle details of the natural world – such as the mineral deposits that have built up over eons or the small patches of blue sky. But if you look closely in the bottom right of this image, you’ll notice a small human element of my own – my footprints coming up over the sand. I had planned a different vantage point to capture, but as the light drastically changed with the approaching storm, I found myself shifting quickly – even leaving behind the marks of the tripod. They did not last long though. As the storm blew through the valley my fleeting footprints disappeared and were reclaimed by this shifting sea of sand.