Death Valley National Park, a land of extremes and contrasts, is a fantastic venue for photography no matter when you visit. Traveler contributing photographer Rebecca Latson recently returned from several days at Death Valley with a passel of pictures as well as advice and techniques for capturing your own awesome shots.

Every photo you capture of your experience in a national park fleshes out that visit for yourself and your viewing audience. That national park photo story should include a few low-light shots of your explorations through a shadowy forest interior, or around the spacious lobby of a rustic park lodge, or gazing skyward toward the Milky Way on a clear, moonless night outdoors.

How many times have you viewed someone’s national park images and one shot in particular pulled you into the composition? This shot invited you in. This is the power of an intimate composition. Traveler contributing photographer Rebecca Latson explains the photographic elements of this type of composition.

Chances are, during a national park visit, you’ve probably photographed – intentionally or accidentally – an interesting event involving the play of light known as an atmospheric phenomenon. This manifestation may show up as the subject of your composition, or perhaps as an accessory highlighting your subject.