I am, and have long been, a “desert rat.” I absolutely love the deserts of North America—I lived in the high desert for six years in Oregon. so naturally, it was exciting that in 2019, in December, I attended a photography workshop in Death Valley National Park with Lynn Radeka (partly paid for with the help of a crowdsourcing platform). I flew to Las Vegas with my entire 4x5 kit in its big Sinar case—and it was no small trouble getting it through the airport and to the rental car. I stayed in the hotel at Stovepipe Wells, where I’d load and unload film in the windowless bathroom at night. Each day, we’d go out to all the great places: Zabriskie Point, Ubehebe Crater, Badwater Basin, and more. This exposure, made on Kodak TMAX 100, was made in the most nondescript place, the hardpan desert floor not far from the motel. People tell me it’s one of their favorite shots. Lynn himself helped me size it up. It’s tricky to print, and required contrast masking techniques; the sun was very bright that day, as you might imagine, and so the difference between the bright desert floor and the hard shadows is a big gap to get on a single piece of paper. I’m quite happy with the result; some of the people who donated money for me to go were gifted with this image.