Fractured Earth
Death Valley National Park
You go to Death Valley expecting these huge, sweeping vistas, and you get them. But sometimes, the most compelling things are right at your feet. These cracks weren't the usual jagged, chaotic patterns. These were smooth, with deep, curved edges that felt almost sculpted. The low sun cut across them, throwing the cracks into pure blackness and making the smooth mud surfaces glow. It felt like looking at a blueprint of the desert, the very bones of the landscape exposed. I spent a long time just composing this small section of the ground, lost in its simple, powerful geometry.