Night Photography in Death Valley

The night sky in Death Valley can be spectacular. Most nights are cloud free and the location is far enough from Vegas where the only issue with light pollution is for southern facing shots. Death Valley is one of three parks in the United States dark enough to be listed by the International Dark Sky Association, providing ample views of the Milky Way and the star field. However, as the Las Vegas population continues to creep northwards, it remains to be seen how long Death Valley will remain a truly dark space. (www.darksky.org).

I’ll admit to not being a terribly dedicated night sky photographer. When in Death Valley, I’m more interested in photographing during the pre-dawn and dusk hours, when the quality of light is simply sublime and unlike anything I have found elsewhere (the valley is shadowed by high mountain ranges, creating a prolonged period of soft light I find perfect for landscape photography). So, rising before sunrise and returning after sunset makes for a short night – with little time left for a middle-of-the-night photo shoot.

On this April night, the conditions were not ideal. The moon was in a quarter phase and a thin cloud cover obscured parts of the sky. Nonetheless, I had a few new lenses to test, and it was worth a try. The Furnace Creek golf course was the setting for these shots, taken around 10:00 PM or about an hour after the last light. I did not venture too far from the hotel complex, having seen a coyote on the same course earlier in the day and wanting to avoid any surprises.

Camera Settings

My setup included a Sony A7RIII, ZEISS Batis 18 and the obligatory tripod. The OLED display on the barrel of the ZEISS Batis 18mm made focusing in manual mode a snap. Unlike other AF lenses, where focusing on the stars at night can be hit or miss, rotating the MF ring on the Batis lens until the infinity mark was illuminated in the display ensured sharp focus. Figuring out the exposure was a mixture of choosing the correct ISO and aperture, while limiting the shutter speed to no more than 25s – which stops any blurring due to the Earth’s rotation.

On this night it was a bit breezy, so I opted for a higher ISO of 20,000 to minimize the exposure times and to keep the movement in the trees to a minimum. It was then a matter of finding something interesting to place in the foreground and hoping I could catch a bit of the Milky Way. There are several phone-based star-gazing apps that will help planning. I’ve used Night Sky, but there are others available.

I exposed several hundred shots and selected a few for processing. I use Adobe Lightroom Classic and limit the changes to exposure & color compensation – plus a bit of sharpening and noise reduction. The new LRC v11.0 features a ‘select sky’ masking feature which now allows for an easy separation of the sky and foreground for exposure and contrast adjustment. I tend to frame my shots in camera and will only change the composition if I prefer the image in a 1:2 or 1:3 pano mode (I blame my Hasselblad XPan for changing my view of the world to a panoramic format 😊)

p.s. - My only other night sky experience in Death Valley was at the Mesquite Flat sand dunes. I had just gotten a Canon intervalometer for use with a 5DMKII and was experimenting with a time-lapse sequence. After setting up the shot before sunset, I proceeded to expose about 1,000 JPG’s over the course of a couple of hours – which, if you’ve ever done this, can be quite boring. Between the sound of the shutter firing every 30 seconds and the still-warm sand, I was asleep in no time. When I awoke on the dunes around 11:00 pm, I was amazed to find enough light from the stars to illuminate the landscape around me. I was able to hike the two miles back to my car only from the light of the stars and to this day, it is still the most amazing night sky display I’ve ever seen.

Getting There

Unless you are traveling from southern California, most people use Las Vegas as a starting point. There are numerous flight options plus, hotels & rental cars are plentiful. It’s about a 2:10 to 2:30 drive, depending on which of the two routes you take and how often you stop to photograph. I usually will depart Las Vegas around 4:00 AM and take the longer route up Route 95 to the town of Beatty, before stopping at the Rhyolite ghost town and then entering the park. Another alternative is to time the arrival for a sunrise shot at Zabriskie Point.

Staying There

Lodgings in Death Valley are limited and should be booked well in advance, especially in the spring when the wildflowers are in bloom. There are two hotels in Furnace Creek, The Inn at Death Valley and The Ranch at Death Valley. I’ve always opted for the Ranch since it’s less expensive and I spend little time in the room except to sleep. You can also opt for the Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel, which I’ve never stayed in – but gets good reviews. Camping sites are also available - if you are so inclined.

Other Tidbits

There are decent restaurants at the Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells location, but they typically don’t stay open late. So, if you plan to photograph late into the evening, be prepared in advance. There are general stores in both towns where you can stock up on water, microwave meals and other supplies. Speaking of water, do not hike anywhere in the valley without it and plan on at least a gallon per person, per day. High temperatures and low humidity can take a quick toll, even in the cooler fall and spring seasons. You will find gas stations in both towns (expect to pay a premium) and there is ample internet service in most of the park, unlike when I first started visiting in early 2000.