The Photographer's Guide to Death Valley (The Photographer's Guide) [Paperback]

Shellye Poster (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Photographer's Guide | Publication Date: March 16, 2009

A one-of-a-kind, invaluable resource for anyone who travels to Death Valley, this guide provides smart, practical advice to access its jaw-dropping natural landscape.

Death Valley is truly a land of extremes. From otherworldly texture and terrain to ghost towns and abandoned mines, this expansive park is home to some of the most unique and inspiring landscapes anywhere on the planet, and visitors from around the world come to experience its striking geology and charismatic cultural sites.

This guide offers detailed descriptions, seasonal recommendations, and trip planning suggestions so you'll know where and when to craft stunning photos of the park's attributes. Also included are detailed maps, instruction and suggestions for both digital and film photography enthusiasts. Full-color photographs throughout

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shellye Poster is a photographer and teaching artist who enjoys mentoring youth photography students. She's served as the Badlands National Park Artist in Residence and her work has appeared in numerous books, calendars, brochures, and greeting cards. She lives in Seattle, WA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Countryman Press; Original edition (March 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088150789X
• ISBN-13: 978-0881507898
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #81 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Travel

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful guide to a fantastic place, March 22, 2009

By 

Robert L. Ferrett (Ypsilanti, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Photographer's Guide to Death Valley (The Photographer's Guide) (Paperback)

I am a semi-pro photographer, and have taken some great shots in Death Valley. The problem with taking a week to photograph an area is that you can't cover all of the really interesting spots. This book gives me great ideas about exactly where to go on my next trip! The descriptions are great, the pictures are superb and creative. One of her "favorite sunrises" is at Zabriske Point. In my (subjective) opinion, this is possibly the top site for great photos at nearly any time of day (except during high sun in the early afternoon). Early morning (8-10 a.m.) is especially nice!
If I had one complaint about the book, it is that the picture captions do not include the details of the photo--f-stop, lens, shutter speed, etc. Some of the shots have very interesting depth of field effects, and even a simple "24mm, f 1.4, 1/250 second" would be really great to have. That is how many of us non-professionals learn how to take better shots. Even if there were just a link to a detailed photo list online, I would be very grateful!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Great Value, July 15, 2009

By 

Eric Radman (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Photographer's Guide to Death Valley (The Photographer's Guide) (Paperback)

Shellye Poster's new book is a welcome addition to my library of "How to Photograph xxx". I just purchased this book and am very happy with the content, layout, suggestions, and information.

In addition to featuring great photos, the book is laced with great information, suggestions, and tips. The detailed descriptions & photos provide a unique perspective on how to photograph Death Valley.

For example, Poster writes," Photographing in the late morning will enable you to incorporate northwest skies and the Panamint Range. Views to the southeast will be better in the afternoon".

Other comments such as, " Devil's Golf Course holds great potential for late-afternoon and sunset photography".... Foot traffic has trampled the spires closest to the parking area, so venture out a bit to discover shapes that are increasingly jagged and more appealing".

I also like that all sections contain info on Best Times to visit, Exertion level required, Road Accessibility, and Parking information.

The Favorites section in the back of the book lists the author's favorite hikes, sunrise & sunset locations, as well as internet and phone information.

The only thing really missing from the book is a complete photographer's matrix chart similar to what Laurent Martres uses in his book, "Photographing the Southwest: Volume 1, Southern Utah".

In Martres' book appendix, he developed an easy to use matrix chart ranking Scenic value, Photographic interest, Road accessibility and Hiking difficulty for each location. However, with minimum effort, it wouldn't be hard to pull this information from Shellye Poster's book.

This book is well worth it if you plan to visit and photograph Death Valley.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice but could have certainly been more complete, March 4, 2011

By 

Jean-Daniel Gagne "JDGagne dot com" (Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Photographer's Guide to Death Valley (The Photographer's Guide) (Paperback)

I am used to the "Photographing SouthWest" books that are very complete with full of advices. This one is OK but I would qualify it of superficial and does not go deep into the subject. Lack of advices on time of day for best shots and more detailed "how to get there"