Cracked Clay west of Badwater Road

The featured location is of cracked clay formations in Death Valley National Park. Park at the Golden Canyon Trailhead, which is located on the east side of Badwater Road, two miles south of the Badwater road and Highway 190 intersection. Walk across the Highway and make your way southwest and you will see a wash. Follow the wash approximately 1.5 miles. There are about 2-3 acres of these cracked clay formations that you can explore!

All months of the year are suitable to photograh the cracked clay, but the temperatures are much cooler and there is a better chance of cloud cover from January to June, November and December.

The featured shot was taken at sunset, but you can capture the low light at sunrise or sunset. Avoid the middle of the day when the sun is very harsh.

By using a wide-angle lens (16mm) and photographing directly down onto the cracks you’ll make their appearance much larger in the foreground.

I suggest taking three exposures, each focused on different parts of the scene — the foreground, mid-ground, and background. This will ensure your image is in focus near to far.

Pay attention to the clouds all around you, there are multiple compositions here in all directions!