Just three hours away from South Bay Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park is a gem. This relatively nearby desert spot provides endless opportunities for adventure, especially for a photographer.

This image of Penguin Rock and Juniper Tree won honorable mentions in the Black and White Photos category in the 2023 Orange County Fair Photography Contest and the 2023 Palos Verdes Library District Community Art Show. The location is a mere one hundred feet from camping sites at Joshua Tree. Very convenient when I photographed the night sky from the same spot.

Park Boulevard crosses the park between Jumbo Rocks and Sheep Pass. I’ve driven it many times, always wowed by the forest of Joshua Trees and the photographic opportunities there.

Late on sunny days, the long shadows of the Joshua Trees slash across the dry landscape. Sunsets are better with a few clouds. For a few minutes after the sun sinks below the horizon, its rays often brilliantly paint the bottoms of the clouds above.

At night, from about February to October, the core of the Milky Way stretches up or across the sky, depending on the time of year and time of night.

Another part of what makes Joshua Tree so interesting is the rocks. Lots of them.

I especially like finding compositions that lend themselves to black and white.

Endless piles of photo opportunities.

I find something different every time.

Joshua Tree lies under some of the busiest aviation routes in the United States, which can be problematic when photographing the stars. Sometimes, you just roll with it, as in this sort of “artsy” star trail image that illustrates the “problem.” For more typical star trails and “starscapes,” I’ve found it best to wait until after midnight to eliminate or at least minimize the number of airplanes cutting through my frame during long exposures.

I especially like photographing the Milky Way in a very dark sky against intriguing or out-of-this-world foregrounds. The best times are nights around the New Moon. June through August yields the best views and longest nights if you can stand the extreme heat during the day. But I find April, May, and September or October, when the days are cooler, can work well, too.

Nights with a Full Moon, or close to it, are great, too.

And when the Moon is just a crescent, if the night is very clear, you can sometimes see and capture Earthshine, which is the light from the daylight part of our planet reflected onto the nighttime portion of the surface of the Moon.

Day or night, there is much to photograph at Joshua Tree, right in our backyard.

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I am a photographer, writer, former space systems engineer, retired colonel, and 26-year USAF veteran living in Rolling Hills Estates. Among my eclectic photography interests are photographing the night sky and landscapes. One of these days, I hope to have the opportunity for a gallery showing in the South Bay.

These photographs and others are available for viewing or purchase at https://www.jamesknaufphotos.com. Or contact me at jim@jamesknauf.com.

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