Sep 2024 (One Month - One Picture)
Explore Landscapes #62
Stormy weather in Joshua Tree with a downpour of rain makes for some lovely lighting for shooting landscapes in the park.
Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, CA | © 2024 Jon Norris
September 2024 | Sequoia National Park | Joshua Tree National Park
I had a lovely three-day weekend in Joshua Tree National Park with my photographer friend John, who was visiting from the East Coast. We were treated to a stormy and rainy day for our first shoot, followed by two days with a bluebird sky, conditional normal in JT.
The stormy rainclouds created a giant ‘soft lightbox’ that provided even lighting over the entire landscape, no matter where we looked. We had some light intermittent rain at our first two locations and then decided to visit Hidden Valley and hike the trail there.
The sky grew ever more menacing, and shortly after this photo was taken, the heavens opened, and we were soaked. But that’s why you get a weather-sealed camera and go out in all weather.
Iron Door, Joshua Tree National Park, CA | © 2019 Jon Norris
September 2019 | Joshua Tree National Park | London | Fishguard
It's mid-September, and I’m back at JT for another solo photography weekend. Some time ago, I booked a JT campsite once a month as soon as it became available (typically six months in advance). That way, my photography trips become firm fixtures in my calendar, eliminating any excuses for not going.
I stopped at the Cottonwood Visitor Center during my last trip to JT. I picked up a copy of Joshua Tree National Park, The Insider’s Guide, written by Robert Miramontes, a local photographer, explorer, and rock climber with intimate knowledge of the park. I was looking for inspiration and info on new places to hike within JT.
One of the places that grabbed my attention was the Iron Door and the fact that it wasn’t easy to find made it all the more appealing. There’s a popular bouldering area near the Hidden Valley parking area, and beyond that, amongst and below one of the larger boulders, is the Iron Door.
No one knows why this heavy iron door was installed to make a small, secure area in the middle of nowhere, but there it is.
