This week, my good friend Taylor and I drove out to Joshua Tree National Park for a quick overnight trip. I had been out there a few times before, but I was never completely satisfied with the work I produced–and Taylor had never been. After a lengthy bout of LA traffic, we made it to the park in time for the sunset. 

After scouting for a good location to watch the sun go down, we climbed up one of the piles of boulders that litter the park to get a view of the landscape and eat our sandwiches.

Once the sun set, we began to watch the stars appear, and we drove through the park looking for some cool places to set up our tripods and shoot–including this little cave that provided us with a great view of the stars!

Throughout the night, I was constantly amazed by what we were seeing. If you haven’t been, the best way I can describe it is otherworldly. At night the silence is only interrupted by the occasional passing car or the distant howl of a coyote. If not for those sounds (and the distant glow of towns) one could believe that they were on Mars.

After a full night of shooting, we found an open campsite and flopped our sleeping bags on the ground–only to be woken up by the bright desert sun shortly thereafter. As we drove back to LA, we agreed that our adventure was a success, and that many more would have to follow. Below are a few more selections from my night, and be sure to check out www.tlaynephoto.com (and his associated social media channels) to find Taylor’s shots from the evening.