2017 Calendars are Sold Out! Thank you to everyone who ordered one this year. This year’s supply of 50 calendars sold out pretty fast. I think in coming years I will stick to 100 and we’ll see what happens. Happy 2017!
Earlier this year, I entered 5 panoramas into the 2016 Epson International Pano Awards. I entered a couple of panoramas last year and did not win anything. I set my expectations low. Life has been busy, and with everything going on in the world I didn’t have a chance until now to do a little write up. The Epson International Pano Awards have two competitions: Open and Amateur. They are judged separately. Since I do not make my living through my photography, I entered each of my 5 entries into the Nature / Landscape category of both competitions. The result? I won a silver award and 6 bronze awards! Check out the photos below. One of my panoramas did not earn an award, but I had considered that one a long shot.

Textural Landscape, Silver Amateur Award, Bronze Open Award
View Textural Landscape on Flickr

Sierra Crest Sunrise, Bronze in Open and Amateur Awards
View Sierra Crest Sunrise on Flickr

Sneffels Sunset, Bronze in Open and Amateur Awards
View Sneffels Sunset on Flickr

Aguerberry Dawn, Bronze in Amateur Awards
View Aguerberry Dawn on Flickr


Edit:
Hello, Internet! If you want to keep up with my photography, follow me on Flickr, Facebook, 500px, check out my other blog posts or even visit my portfolios. Cheers.
I haven’t done a blog post in awhile. I’ve been extremely busy. It’s not that there hasn’t been things to write about, but rather that all of my photographic efforts have been exhausted outside of the day job and it just hasn’t left me with anything left to devote to writing here. However, a trip last weekend to the Racetrack has left me with a burning need to write, and unfortunately it is because of the worst kind of people.
My mission was to capture some specific images of the Racetrack for a project. I made haste to get there as soon as I could before it got too hot. It is after all summer, and I wanted to get up to 3700ft before the main valley hit 110. It was in the upper 90’s when I finally started upon Racetrack Road. Oh Racetrack Road, you are still as bad as ever. Those 27 miles are always a relief when they are over. Finally, the Racetrack came into view. I was blissfully ignorant of what horrors were hidden from view at this distance. What follows is a mix of iPhone and Sony shots taken between 9/11/16 afternoon and 9/12/16 morning.

The Racetrack Playa finally in view
The Racetrack is a very special place. There are only two known places on the Earth where rocks move on their own across a lake bed. How they move was a mystery until 2014 when a couple of researchers finally witnessed it. The conditions have to be perfect, and those conditions might not happen for years between events. This is because of course Death Valley is a very dry place, which leads us to why the Racetrack itself is so fragile. When wet, footprints can last for years before conditions reach the point where the surface can reset. This is why signs say not to walk out on the lake bed when it is wet. Well, you are also not supposed to drive on it. This is regardless of whether it’s wet or dry. Unfortunately, when I drove up to the first of the three parking spaces, I found this.

Car tracks at the Grandstand
It seems the worst kind of people have recently visited the Racetrack. The worst kind of people.

If only there was a sign that said “NO MOTOR VEHICLES”

They did loops around the Grandstand 🙁

It doesn’t have to be wet to get damaged by inconsiderate people
The Racetrack Playa has three parking areas. The middle parking lot offered even greater horrors. Whoever did this, they really had zero consideration for anyone else.

What a mess
The damage was so extensive by the middle parking lot I couldn’t even bring myself to walk out and get a closer look. By this point my heart was really filled with dread. “Oh God, surely they didn’t go to the rocks too!” I thought. I pressed on.

Yes, they went there.
At least one track ventures all the way to the rocks. They were thorough in defacing one of the most unique places on Earth. Yes, that’s a track that curves between rocks before looping around. Photographic compositions here will be ruined for years. Experiences will be marred by tire tracks next to rock tracks. My planned shots around the Grandstand were ruined for this trip.

Horrors

Yeah, the car tracks show up from afar too

The worst people drove right over some tracks

From the rocks area, car tracks tail off into the distance
It appeared that these people drove out right from the Racetrack parking area.

Tracks right from the Racetrack parking
I don’t recognize the type of tread. Anyone know what these are from? It seemed to be pretty recent. It can be quite windy and I would expect the wind to erase the soft prints in the sandy dirty here before long.

Treads of bad people
If I sound repetitive referring to these people as the worst, or bad, or terrible, or any number of other negative adjectives I’m not really sorry. This damage could last for years. The Racetrack is a special place. It’s not a place for cars to race, it’s a place for the Racing Rocks. Period. It’s a National Park. Be respectful. What I’m writing is incredibly tame compared to the thoughts that were racing through my mind as I came across this mess. This level of disrespectful, inconsiderate car track graffiti exceeded everything I previously thought possible. But unfortunately, the horrors would continue. 2016 has had abundant horrors.
Out at the rocks, some fainter trails of … something … crossed through some of the area. I don’t know what to make of them or how old they are, but they are just as abhorrent as the car tracks.

Human caused tracks of something crossing a rock trail
I don’t know what to make of this. At some other point on the playa there seemed to be bicycle tracks but the side-by-side nature here I find puzzling. This is minor compared to the final insult.

Chiseled into a rock, the initials of truly horrible people
A few weeks back I had heard a rumor that I prayed was not true. The rumor was that people were carving initials into rocks at the Racetrack. It’s been bad enough over the years that people steal rocks and move them. But this, this really takes the cake. At least the damage to the playa surface will one day be undone by the weather, even though it could take decades. This though, this will last far longer. These people, “D” and “K” chiseled a 1/8″ deep graffiti gouge into the surface of a large rock on the playa.
How does one get it in their head that this is ok? How does one think “Oh, it’s the racetrack! Let’s drive on it!” How does one think “Let’s chisel our initials onto one of the special rocks!” How does one get to such a selfish place in life? I hope these people are caught. I know that hope is about as improbable as winning the Powerball lottery, but in a perfect world, these assholes would be brought to justice. Anyone with any information please contact Death Valley National park. Defacing the racetrack is a crime.
I wish that the entire racetrack could be surrounded with severe tire damage spikes, carefully camouflaged to blend in unnoticeable from the surrounding dirt. I imagine such a person as recently defaced this sacred place trying to drive upon the playa only to have all 4 tires shredded before they could damage much. This would necessitate a very, very expensive tow from Miller’s Towing out of Lone Pine. But such things are just thoughts. Please be respectful to our sacred and protected places. They belong to us, they don’t belong to just you. Please, if you know anything contact the National Park Service. Please don’t deface the Racetrack, drive on it, steal rocks, or chisel into the rocks.
Edit, Tuesday 9/20:
Thank you to everyone who has responded to this post. I did not expect it to take off as much as it has. Seeing those recent tracks was infuriating but they are hardly the first ones I’ve seen there. They are the worst kind of people to visit the Racetrack. To be clear, if it wasn’t obvious, I’m not comparing them to all the other bad people or bad things that happen on the Earth
A few people have claimed that the car trails will not last years. I present you this shot from 2013 of vehicle tracks that you cross between the parking lot and the main moving rock zone. While I did not take a photo of these tracks on 9/11-12 of this year (2016), they are just as present now as they were then. It is plainly visible in Google Earth.

Old vehicle tracks seen in 2013 still visible in 2016
I hope that the awareness instilled by this post will encourage others to document and report anytime they see anyone driving out there or defacing or stealing stones or walking out on the playa when wet. I hope it will encourage people to be respectful of this uniquely amazing place. And finally I hope that Death Valley National Park can do a little more to discourage driving out there and stealing / defacing rocks. There is certainly room for improvement in signage and in obstacles to getting out there. I want us all to be able to respectfully enjoy this amazing spot in my favorite National Park. Please enjoy the unique natural beauty of the sailing stones of the Racetrack and leave no trace that you were there.
And finally I’ll add one of my photos from my first ever visit to Death Valley and the Racetrack back in 2008, when I fell in love with this incredible place.

Racing Rock, 2008
Please leave no trace.
Edit: I was interviewed live on Facebook by the Weather Channel’s wonderful Domenica Davis to talk about the damage and what makes the place special.
[…] […]
[…] he documented on his blog, landscape photographer Kurt Lawson was in the area scouting shooting locations for a project […]


2015 has come to an end, and once again it’s time to look back and pick 10 favorite images from the year. After careful consideration this is the list I came up with. I hope you enjoy. If you feel I missed one, please tell me down in the comments.

Marathon in the Sky
This year started with a neat event in Los Angeles. To mark the anniversary of the Los Angeles Marathon, ASICS pointed 26 clusters of lights straight up to mark each mile of the course. I barely was able to complete this panorama before they turned out the lights.

Aguereberry Dawn
On a cold morning, I woke to this gorgeous scene at Aguereberry Point high in the Panamint Mountains in Death Valley National Park back in March.

Seirra Crest Sunrise
Rounding out my panoramas from the year is this beautiful sunrise from the base of the Sierras.

A Lady in Red
Continuing with my ongoing obsession with finding trees that stick out, I was ecstatic to find this spectacular red maple nestled among evergreens in Massachusetts this fall.

Tallest
On a bright afternoon, stormy skies bustled around Mount Whitney, the tallest point in the Sierra Nevada and the rest of the 48 states.

Gondolas of Venice
This year I finally was able to go to Europe! I had an amazing trip, starting in London and going to Paris, Berlin, Munich, Venice, Pompeii, Sorrento, Amalfi, and Rome. Here is one of my all time favorite photos from the trip, showing the famous gondolas of Venice.

A Venice Night
In another view of Venice, this time at night, a man walks along the still waters of the canals.

Super Blood Moon Eclipse Over Obelisk – Single Exposure Edition
After my trip was completely booked, I learned that a total lunar eclipse was happening during the “supermoon” closest approach of the Moon in its orbit. I originally envisioned a shot over the pyramid of the Louvre in Paris, but found the entire courtyard area closed off at 4am. With the eclipse starting, I set off in search of a different foreground and stumbled across this Egyptian obelisk.

Manhattan Beach Summer Sunset
Manhattan Beach Pier has always been a favorite photo spot for me ever since my first visit in 1996. For years I have hoped for a great sunset there and finally caught one there.

Light Show
I love lightning photos. This is why I bought a lightning trigger. However in this case my lightning trigger was thousands of miles away while I was on vacation. While staying at hotel in South Carolina, I managed to luckily capture this strike during a 10 second exposure from an incredibly energetic thunderstorm.
[…] Kurt Lawson – Kurt Lawson Photography […]



Lightning Strikes the Maroon Bells
Last year due to crazy busy holidays I didn’t have a chance to post a 10 best photos of 2014. It was an amazing year. Top honors goes to this photo I captured at the Maroon Bells of lightning striking the peak during my road trip to Colorado in the fall.

Self Portrait Amongst Ancients
I also did some night photography up in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. My favorite shot being this self portrait.

Backlit Snow and the Sneffels Range
I found the Sneffels Range in Colorado to be absolutely spectacular. Here a storm was raining ice pellets in the late afternoon. The lower elevation aspens were just starting to show signs of changing while the upper elevations were brilliant gold. I found this quality of light to be superb.

97 Switchbacks At Night, Digital Edition (v2)
In July I went up to the 97 switchbacks again with some new friends to re-capture them at night, this time with digital cameras. Instead of one long exposure on film, these are done with multiple 30 second exposures, which are added together in processing.

Clearing Thunderstorm Over Mount Muir
While on that expedition, we were greeted by a morning thunderstorm that broke just at sunrise. Here the storm is parting over Mount Muir.

Holdouts
I have always been fascinated by trees that stick out from their surroundings. In the valley of the Maroon Bells this group of aspens struck me from across the valley.

Aspen Dreams
On the subject of aspens, they are among my favorite trees. I have sought for a long time to find a dense aspen forest. In Kebler Pass in Colorado, I finally found one.

Lone Ranch Sunset
At long last I got to visit the spectacular Oregon Coast.

Sunrise Above and Below the Clouds
While visiting Lassen Volcanic National Park, I came across this scene at sunrise. I loved the color reflecting off of the fog and through the the thin clouds above.

Lichen Forest
Finally, I close out the top 10 with this remarkable forest, also in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Tree after tree was covered in brilliant green lichen, enriched by wet, overcast conditions.


by Kurt