I got back from a trip to California yesterday. Five days in Joshua Tree (the town) with numerous visits to Joshua Tree (National Park). The trip was planned around getting the photo above, the Milky Way. As with all my trips, I start with, “Should I go to Iceland?’ The answer is always “yes,” and then a moment later, it goes, But… “if I could do X instead. What would it be?” I am constantly trying to get better at different photo methods; I love learning, trying, and experimenting with new things in photography. The Milky Way has been on that list for years. I have done it several times; my first attempt was by chance back in 2020. Though I never got photos I would be proud to hang out at a show.

You need ingredients and math to get good photos of the Milky Way, and I wanted a fantastic location. I tracked the new moon to be this week. Joshua Tree National Park is a perfect location, with plenty of things to put in the foreground and certified dark (that’s a real thing). I had a slow week scheduled, had never been there, found a class that would assist with the goal and booked the trip.

I love taking photo classes as much as I love teaching them (I need to do more classes). One, I find it is always rewarding, even if it is to meet other photographers. This class was no exception. I met Casey, who runs his photography classes and adventure business in Joshua Tree National Park and Iceland. It was meant to be. It was supposed to be a class with a few students, we meet at the entrance of the park at 7, head in and find our spots, go over some settings, etc, then wait for the Milky Way to rise – all went to plan, but the other students did not arrive. They bailed at the last minute. So it was just me and Casey. This lets us be a little flexible with the location. He asked if I wanted to photograph the Milky Way over the Arch Rock – as far as I was concerned the best possible location we could use – I was there the day before with my wife during he day, perfect. It was all about timing, and it all lined up for our shoot. Just hanging out and getting to know Casey was enough for a successful night. We talked about cameras, the photography business, Iceland, documentary films – which he also makes, and Joshua trees – the subject of his film. He is a walking encyclopedia on Joshua Trees and the National Park, and of course, I would be challenged to find someone who knows more about photographing the sky, especially in that park. I learned so much and was inspired to be better all at the same time.

Then the Milky Way rose, and it was incredible. I have all the apps that tell me where to see it; I know the calculations for the length of shutter speed, which lens to use, and all the settings, but to be in a dark location, and I mean dark, and see it is very different. You feel minuscule in the most exciting way possible while looking at the core of the galaxy. That spot in the sky brought thoughts of nothing being of a chance for me. The galaxy would be in that spot at that time. It is known, factual, whether I would be there or not. Yet it was a whim of wanting to experience it that led me to search to find the location, that found the class, that led to the flight, the Airbnb, to Casey, to the others not showing up to the class, to the Arch Rock, to our conversations about the familiar things we shared, to the photo above. The marriage of whim and math produced this photo; I appreciate both. I believe they are usually driving me anyway it is nice to see the obvious proof now and then. I could challenge we are here by mathematical whim anyway.

Now, to answer the question I will get, “Did it look like that with the naked eye?” No, but you could see it; if you know where to look, I will always know where to look because of Casey and the class. The camera sensor is not our eye, it is also very different from film. These photos benefit from technology. The data is collected and not produced, meaning it is not photoshopped but edited. I use Lightroom and considered myself pretty damn good at it until I met Casey. I learned more about Lightroom than I did about photography in this class. That is for sure. But yes, you can see the Milky Way in the sky in the right conditions. It is like a dust cloud in the sky. Processing the image brings the most out of the image. If you are interested, I recommend Casey’s classes or look at his work. You can find his page here: Joshua Tree Workshops. He also advocates for Joshua Trees. He filmed a documentary on them that just played at the Palm Springs Film Festival. It was fascinating to learn about these incredible trees and how they are in danger: you can learn that stuff here, too.

I went out the next night and got more shots before we left. The trip was worth it in many ways. I took photos, spent time with my wife, and met great people. As always, my camera takes me to the coolest places. Thanks for reading.

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Yucca Brevifolia is the actual name of Joshua Trees. I find them fascinating. I learned a lot about them while I was in CA. They can live hundreds of years but it is hard to tell exactly how long because their trunks are twisted fibers, so no rings to count. This one was about 10 feet tall. We saw them from a foot to maybe 20 feet high. Not one looks the same, and they are living in brutal climates. Seen as a strong symbol of faith and hope in spite of the hard conditions. I searched for the ones I wanted to photograph throughout the day while in the park then returned back at night, like looking for a model. I was using an app called Photo Pills to help me align the tree, the stars, and the time I needed to shoot to get the spiral perfectly aligned. I chose this one at a trailhead called The Boys Scouts Trail. It was a quiet spot, and the North Star was in the center, lined up directly behind the tree to give me the halo I sought. I had practiced with the photos I shared a few days back. I had learned I was in a much darker area, so I did not need 60 minutes of photos to get star trails. This one is simply 20 photos over 30 minutes. I lit the tree with the flashlight in one exposure, and more light was caught by the random car that drove by. This is my favorite Star Trail photo of the trip, but not my favorite shot… that will be shared soon.

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While waiting for the sunlight to leave and the Milky Way to rise, I had some fun with the light sticks I had brought with me in the park last night. Tonight, I head home, but the photos from the trip will continue for a bit—I have many more to share, including the reason I took the trip.

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Last night, we headed back to Joshua Tree National Park. First, we sat high on rocks to watch the light disappear at sunset. Then, drove out to a section named Keys View as the light stuck around for a bit. It is an incredible spot that we will go back to for sunset tomorrow night – my wife enjoyed it more than I did, it is a little too “influencer spotty” for me, I prefer the vacant parking lot and solo tree we found for star trails. The photo above took 60 minutes to create. It is 20 photos, each 180-second exposure. Using a flashlight, I ‘painted’ the tree with light for one exposure. The light on the rock behind is an excellent addition, thanks to some cars heading to a campground behind the rock – and I believe that area is where the ambient yellow/green glow comes from too. The light on the bushes is from a random car that drove through my shot at a reasonably high speed, considering we are in the middle of nowhere at 11 pm, and it is pretty dark. I had to stand at my tripod, ready to grab it if she did not realize it/or I were there. She was kind of enough to babble, “Oh, sorry,” as she whizzed maybe two feet from me in her rental. She ruined the last frame, but I was lucky at that point I had enough to build the picture. Believe it or not, there is not much in the way of photoshopping. I darkened/removed some of the foreground under the tree and bushes lit up by the lost driver. Besides that, this is just the stacked 20 photos and some dodging and burning to make it all pretty. I also got one the night before; it is below from the front yard of the great house we are renting out here. I head back to the park in a few hours to try to capture the Milky Way. I will only be in the low hundreds tonight.

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OK, so the top picture maybe shouldn’t have been chosen as the ‘dailypic’ I went back and forth on this. We toured parts of Joshua Tree National Park today – until it got too hot, heading back in a few minutes for cooler temps and a sunset and start photos. But before the temp crept up to 110 degrees, we hiked out to Arch Rock, or “The Arch.” It was gorgeous. I did my part to capture it, but it was the random sign I enjoyed most.

It reads:

“Geological processes have created this beautiful arch over time. But we must realize that in a geological framework, its existence is only for a moment, and it is not a final product. Erosion or wearing away will continue. Water will dissolve minerals on the surface and will seep into tiny cracks, causing them to expand and contract with temperature extremes. Bits and pieces of the rock will fall away, exposing new pieces to the elements. Wind will help wear it away, as will other agents in this environment. Then, one day, this arch will tumble only to be replaced with other unique shapes and forms.”

It took me back to the early 2000s when the Old Man on the Mountian ‘rock formation’ crumbled in New Hampshire. People went crazy, mourned, cried, and said we needed to rebuild. I remember thinking it was comical and sad – they seemed more concerned with the economics of their mascot’s demise. I am not trying to be mean, but the rocks were partially glued up on a mountain, held by wires, rebar, and hope, so their precious tourist attraction and face on the license plate would not disappear, then it did, quietly during the night when no one was looking. But today, I see this incredible feat of nature, and it has a sign that reminds those who see it that we are all temporary, so enjoy it while you can. Because once you’re gone, someone else will take your… sorry slip up… I mean, because once it is gone, we will find something else to enjoy that fills the space. I did my part to enjoy it and capture its beauty while it was still with us. Live Free or Die.

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