We spent 4 days in Death Valley and had great weather with high temps of 65-73 and lows of 45. Most days had some clouds with heavy overcast at times and a few sprinkles. I would not recommend going there from May to September as that is why it is called Death Valley. The temps reach 120 during the summer and can reach 130’s for the record. The best light for the Sand Dunes is sunrise and sunset to get good shadows and soft light. We went to the Mesquite Flat Dunes nearest to Furnace Creek but you have to hike in fairly far to avoid footprints everywhere. Other Dunes include Ibex Dunes and Eureka which require 4 wheel drive and longer hiking to reach but are less visited.
Another photogenic spot is Badwater, with salt flats for miles and interesting patterns. Zabriske Point at sunrise or sunset can be good along with Artist’s palette. I used both wide angle lenses, 17-40 and 70-200 telephoto for some shots. Also be careful in the sand dunes if it is windy as blowing sand can ruin your equipment. Keep cameras in plastic zip lock bags and in camera bags when windy. We had very little wind when there. Always clean equipment with a soft brush or canned air when returning from sandy areas and I don’t recommend changing lenses in the dunes (had 2 camera bodies and never changed lenses).

abstract #8

abstraction #2 sand dunes

Badwater Salt Flats

Clouds Artist’s palette

dune abstract 5

dune abstract 7

dune pattern V

Dune S shaped

Dunes, Funeral Mts

Mesquite Flat dunes

Large Dune