Customer Reviews

The Photographer's Guide to Death Valley (The Photographer's Guide)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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"

I read this book prior to taking a five night photography trip to Death Valley. I found the book to be a valuable resource for capturing stunning images of this spectacular area. While visiting the park, I recognized nearly all of the photographs contained in this book. I kept the book handy for constant reference to ensure that I was at the locations at the best times.

I am quite happy with this book. Although I wish it contained information on some of the more remote roads and adventures, this book is ideal for someone wanting a good, overview of the main roads and sites to see. I will keep this book with me as we travel throughout Death Valley and feel confident I will get from point A to point B with safety and knowledge. Supplement this book with a more detailed map from the Park Service and you are set.

I read this book several times before taking a trip to Death Valley in January. My main purpose was to photograph the landscape and this book helped me plan the trip and decide where I wanted to try to capture magic hour light. I captured lots of great light, so it worked. The landscapes of Death Valley are so amazing and surreal, my favorite experience of the trip was hiking out to Mesquite Dunes for sunrise. Hiking the dunes under moonlight and watching as the sun's first light hit the dunes was amazing. I recommend this book and have just ordered the photographer's guide to Glacier National Park for an upcoming trip. I hope it will be equally informative.

Although we had several sources of travel information, this book combined with Death Valley National Park, CA - Trails Illustrated Map #221 provided 90% of the guidance that we needed. The greatest strength of the book was the excellent organization and many useful tips offered throughout the book. These tips not only included the basics such as when to visit a site but also little pearls such as the suggestion to bring knee pads. (Wish I had done that.) Also appreciated were the lists of "favorite..." and a small section on wildflowers. The few deficiencies included the lack of an index, a graphical spreadsheet to summarize features, and the limited focus on the most popular areas. This last deficiency could actually be a blessing if you are a neophyte to the area as the park is huge and limiting your choices is somewhat of a relief.

I would highly recommend this book not only to photographers but to anyone visiting the park without extensive experience here.

There are not many books on photographing Death Valley. I am glad I purchased this book for my trip and it was very useful. The color pictures were also very helpful.

However, the book could be improved. Better maps. Much better idea of how long it takes to get places (it doesn't look like a long drive, but it really is.) I think the author needs to stress that some areas in the book, including the area pictured on the cover, are very difficult to drive to. When it says a "4x4" or similar vehicle, it really means one of the big, beefy, huge vehicles. As the ranger told me, it's a long, rocky, bumpy drive that requires a true 4x4 vehicle. Think washboard gravel road on steroids. If you try it and break down, it's at least $3,000 to be towed. AAA doesn't cover the park! My friend had rented a SUV that technically had 4 wheel drive. Doesn't even come close to being what's needed to get to the racetrack.

That said, if I were to do it all over again, I'd buy this book and take a pink jeep tour, which starting this fall will take you to the racetrack in their big (pink) 4x4 vehicles.

I admit, I may have expected too much for ten bucks, but based on the reviews I did expect more from this book.

It's a slender 96 pages in length, including 10 pages of appendices and tips on shooting wildflowers, and 25 pages of the apparently-obligatory basic advice about equipment, using light, depth of field, etc. There is some useful information about the extra precautions required in the harsh desert environment.

The remaining 60 pages of the book focus on taking pictures of Death Valley, but even this is disappointing. The pictures seem not to have been color-corrected or otherwise carefully printed - most have a flat, dull appearance to them. Some of them - more than just a few - would not be strong images even if they were reproduced more carefully. The 61 shooting locations are described briefly, with variable thoroughness about finding the place, when to be there, and even what to look for (not all have matching photographs). Also, beware, some locations are not drive-to. For example one requires a 14-mile hike... imagine how this desert got its name!

This was purchased as one of several books about photographing in the southwestern U.S. It is the only one that disappointed. On the other hand, it's the only one focused on the eerily spectacular Death Valley desert, and it doesn't cost much. Probably worth the purchase, just don't expect too much from it.

This book features very interesting, beautiful pictures and is also a good read even for a layman photographer. The author uses photo tips and down-to-earth details (not so technical) that will engage the reader from the start. Job well done!