School teacher Jared Ropelato and a friend decided, on a long trek through California and Nevada, to shoot the hottest and driest place in North America.
Death Valley National Park, about two hours outside of Las Vegas, attracts photographers from all over the world.
Ropelato's best shots are featured in a new episodeof " This Happened Here" on Discovery Digital's new Seeker Network.
Jared Ropelato
"Mesquite Dunes is a place I often stop at when heading into Death Valley," Ropelato said. "And it’s so gorgeous as you're driving into the park, its one of the first beautiful, beautiful things you see of many in Death Valley. And it’s hard not to stop, so I always find myself there."
Jared Ropelato
A variety of alien landscapes make it a perfect stop for any photo journey.
Jared Ropelato
"Having hiked into the dunes before the sun started to come up, my goal was to get a nice sunrise shot of the dunes with the mountains in the background. "
Jared Ropelato
"I got to the tallest one and realized the shot I wanted just wasn’t going to happen, and watched as my friend Micah composed his shots," Ropelato said. "And the longer I sat there and watched him the more I realized the shot that I should take was of him and the dunes, receding back into sort of forever."
Jared Ropelato
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