matthewsaville Offline Upload & Sell: On
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Graham, if you feel this way about your visit to Death Valley, I can highly recommend sitting down to a relaxed weekend afternoon of watching Ben Horne's Youtube videos about his many adventures in the Southwest. Personally, I have found them to be a great catalyst in my own pace-slowing, and photographic patience that can last days, months, or even years, plus a general appreciation for the wild unpredictability that is our planet.
In other words- "sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes the bar, well, eats you."
I must be honest, I've actually never seen the iconic polygons anywhere near Badwater Proper. That area has always been either all white and smooth, (after a rain or flood, as in 2005) ...or all brown and bumpy, as you point out much like Devils' Golf Course.
The best polygons are found elsewhere in the area, in spots that are a bit more off the beaten path.
The landscape there changes so often, that I've never even seen the "dots" from a Google Earth satellite view. It's always just a low-res mess. In-person exploration and scouting is always best, even if it means you spend an entire vacation / adventure not getting any masterpiece photos. (Another thing I learned from Ben Horne) You might be able to get a better idea from Dante's view if you have a long enough lens, though.
The incessant changing of the landscape is probably the exact reason that rangers don't even know the current conditions in every corner of the Badwater general area. However they might have been able to point you in a good direction if you had specifically asked, "where are the best polygons currently?"
Anyways, I most enjoyed the 2nd image you shared, It looks like a beautiful depiction of one of Badwater's natural "looks", the stark contrast between smooth, pure white and dark, bumpy brown. The other images (to my own personal taste only) are a bit too dramatic, with heavy highlight / shadow "wrestling" going on.
Take care, and travel safe,
=Matt=
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