Of all the places that I’ve travelled to none have drawn me with such magnetic power than deserts. Being alone, as I often am when I travel, in a vast emptiness is an awe-inspiring feeling. To stand in searing heat with only the sounds of silence and slowly turn 360º and seeing nothing but undulating dunes or rocky terrain for as far as the eye can see, fills me with a feeling of insignificance as far as my place on planet earth is concerned. I have no religious beliefs but there is always the sense of the spiritual when I am in a desert environment and questions of who I am and what is the meaning of my or our existence fire across my mind with unusual clarity.
My first memorable desert experience was in 1980 when I bicycled, alone, coast to coast across the USA. Leaving LA on my way East I found myself with surprising haste in the Mohave Desert. It was the middle of summer and stopping at an isolated diner on the old Route 66 I was amazed to see that the temperature was 44º C and it was only 10 am! As I got further and further into the Mohave the heat became insufferable but the landscape had taken on a magic that I found breathtaking in my isolation within it and there were no longer diners or garages with thermometers to tell me how much the heat had increased. There was nothing but me wondering whether I was going to get out alive and thinking of Mad Dogs and Englishmen….!
But here I am and having visited many other desert areas as well as having been back to the Mohave on many occasions I find their fascination has not diminished and I long to take the ones I love to these places and say, “look”.
For me the best time to photograph deserts is early in the morning. For this shot in Death Valley I got up at 4.00 am. I had to drive to an area that I had recced the previous day and then walk about two miles into the desert. Anyone who has walked up a sand dune at a beach will tell you how tiring and difficult walking on sand can be. Add to this a 25 pound backpack of camera kit plus tripod and plenty of water you could begin to wonder whether it is worth the effort, especially when it is still night-time and the sun is not going to rise until about 6.00 am. Having reached my chosen location I carefully set up my kit. Wind can be a real problem as no matter how well you think you have your kit protected, sand always manages to find a way in. However, wind is also your friend because when I was doing my recce the day before there were hundreds of footprints where day-trippers had trampled over the dunes. Now, as dawn began, the wind like a giant’s broom had swept the desert and the sand was pristine before me with not a single footprint to be seen. I waited for that otherworldly moment when the sun would appear on the horizon in the East and would cast long, deep shadows in the sulcations of the sand. I wasn’t disappointed. Once the sun rose it did so rapidly. I knew I had to work quickly because within fifteen minutes or so it would be relatively high, shortening the shadows and rendering the scene with a dull flatness. Within ten minutes I had got my shots and then just sat down and relished the stillness of the atmosphere, absorbed in the pleasure of my achievement. A little while later one person and then another appeared in front of me and started to walk over the dune I had just photographed, leaving trails of unsightly footprints. I relished the thought that because of their late arrival they would never get the shots I now had in the can!
Since then I have been to several desert areas in other countries and hopefully I will continue to visit many more. While I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone they are dangerous and unforgiving environments. Commonsense should tell you how to prepare and the precautions you should take. If it doesn’t then you will be better off hanging this picture on your wall. I still lose myself in it and I’m sure its magic will work on you!
This shot is available as a limited edition print. There will only be 50 copies. Each one will be signed and numbered by John Freeman and will be accompanied by a certificate of authentication together with a unique hologram on the reverse of the print. The overall paper size measures 483 X 329 mm in this edition. Each print is printed on 100% 308 gsm rag paper and is wood pulp and acid free and has archival permanence.
The cost of each print is £250.00. However, as the edition sells out the price increases i.e. after ten prints are sold the price will be £300.00 for numbers 11 – 20. For numbers 21 – 30 the price will be £375.00 per print. For numbers 31 – 40 the cost will be £475.00 per print. For numbers 41 – 50 the cost will be £650.00 per print. The next available print is 2/50.
It is also available as a standard print at £45.00. For this version please click here.
