Sand Dunes, Sunrise, Death Valley

More About the Image:

This image was made around the beginning of Ansel’s Guggenheim Fellowship in the late 1940’s.  He wrote of Death Valley: ‘The experience is primarily one of light; heroic, sunlit desolation and sharp, intense shadows are the basic characteristics.’  (E pg. 57)  On this day, Ansel set out before dawn, knowing all too well that the plodding walk through the dunes was slow, and ‘several times previously, [he] had struggled through the steep sands [. . .] only to find out [he] was too late for the light.’  (E pg. 57)  After first photographing with 4x5 Kodachrome, he moved on to black-and-white film, making five exposures of the dune.  The resulting scene is quite formal, relying on the ‘vigorous design’ for its captivating nature. (E pg. 58)  In this image, it is ‘a sense of abstraction and a very modern perception [that] have made the moment; it is the seeing, not the subject that is crucial.  The photographer used form to order the chaos of the landscape and give it meaning, splendor, and coherence.’  (CI pg.19)  This image would find its way into numerous publications and exhibitions throughout the artists lifetime, and was also included in Ansel's last major project called 'The Museum Set,' a collection of photographs for which he wanted to be remembered.  Sets were initially meant to include either 25 or 75 total images, 10 which Ansel picked as absolute and which he considered exemplary to his body of work (colloquially referred to as his 'biggies').  Of all the images considered for the set made throughout the entirety of his career, San Dunes, Sunrise, Death Valley was chosen as one of his ten 'biggies.'