2024 Travelers' Choice
Stay Up To Date On All Things
Backcountry Journeys
Backcountry Journeys
Our Photography Community
Our Blog
From articles on the latest camera gear, to trip reports from our latest expeditions, our blog is meant for all interested in travel photography.Our Webinars
Our regularly hosted webinars provide photography instruction from our own guides on a wide range of topics.Our Education Portal
Explore our library of articles that cover everything from common questions, to in-depth guides on how to achieve that perfect shot.Community Testimonials
We're proud to foster an amazing group of photo travelers, and here you can find their stories from their past adventures.About Backcountry Journeys
Why Choose Backcountry Journeys
If you're considering a photography tour, hear why Backcountry Journeys delivers the best experience in the industry.Frequently Asked Questions
If you're new to photography tours, or new to BCJ, you can find our common travel questions here.Fitness Levels
Our trips vary on physical intensity, and by reviewing our fitness levels, you can find out which trips may be more challenging, or aligned more closely with your comfort level.Meet The Crew
We've built an amazing team of experienced guides, and dedicated office staff that elevate your travel experience. Get to know their backgrounds, and hear their stories.Travel Desk
You can review our various payment, and travel policies here, along with resources regarding international travel.Gift Certificates
Give the gift of photo adventure! We offer gift certificates that can be applied to any of our upcoming tours.Loyalty Program
We reward our frequent photo adventurers with exclusive discounts on amazing photography tours.Contact Us
If you need to get in touch with our office staff, or have additional business inquiries, you can find our information here.Resources For Photographers
About Our Company
JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP - THE BCJ TRIBE
JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP - THE BCJ TRIBE
Trip Report: Night Skies of Joshua Tree - May 2022
Trip Report: Night Skies of Joshua Tree - May 2022
by Ben Blankenship
The high desert at Joshua Tree National Park can be an eery place at night. It is all but silent except for the occasional eruptions of coyote howls piercing the night. The daytime temperatures plummet by about 30 degrees or more, and a cool wind accompanies the setting sun each evening. The otherworldly forms of the Joshua Trees accent a landscape that is both lunar and macabre, as familiar forms can be identified in the ancient granite rock formations, forms such as skulls, animals, and sleeping giants.
But, every May, as the clock winds past midnight, the distinctive ribbon of the Milky Way rises above the desert horizon, arcing horizontally across the sky. Joshua Tree is designated as a dark sky park, and it is one of the best places in the world to photograph the Milky Way against a stark and dramatic desert landscape. And this spring, as has become a regular departure for Backcountry Journeys, I accompanied two groups of nocturnal photographers into the dark expanses of the Mojave and Colorado deserts. With ISO’s cranked and shutters open for sometimes minutes at a time, we found a bounty of subject matter to frame against the awe-inspiring night sky, ornamented by the arc of our home galaxy.
By the time of the running of these two trips, Joshua Tree NP felt like my backyard, familiar and accessible, with a handful of well-scouted and photographed locations that clients could easily access. One of my favorites, the Scorpius Arch, which I scouted last year in a somewhat dramatic fashion, is in the far northeast corner of the park. Its “trailhead” is about a 30-minute drive from the town of 29 Palms and then is accessed by a 15-minute walk into the desert. At the end of the walk, a line of rock formations rises above the desert floor.
Here, unnamed miniature arches can be found everywhere, as well as those macabre forms of skulls that perhaps lend to Joshua Tree’s spiritual significance to many people, both ancient and modern.
The rocks here form a labyrinth, where new and strange formations can be found around every corner. This is why I love this location so much. It is far less known, and subsequently less photographed than the main sections of the park. Here, it is easy to find new compositions, perhaps never before photographed. The Scorpius Arch itself has certainly been photographed before, as can be seen via a google search. But, all around are forms just as interesting and bizarre as the arch. The favorite I’ve found so far is one that I’ve taken to calling the “Skull Wall,” as it appears to be formed from a pile of skulls, both animal and human, fuzed together and smoothed by a million years of desert weather.
For the first group, conditions were perfect throughout the week. Every night, we were able to capture sequences of frames to be stacked into star trails. And then, as the Milky Way rose above the horizon, we had at least two good hours to shoot before the call to bed drove us back to our hotel in the town of 29 Palms.
One of the great advantages of photographing the Milky Way in springtime is its horizontal orientation. As the year progresses, the Milky Way becomes visible earlier and earlier into the night, but its orientation becomes vertical, arcing straight overhead. Though this can be useful for some compositions (i.e. looking up through a canyon), to create those sweeping desert nightscapes, the horizontal orientation is preferable in my opinion. And, for both groups, we took full advantage of the low-hanging, horizontal Milky Way alignment, creating panoramas that illustrated the full arc of the galaxy.
As the second week began with group two, clouds threatened to spoil our good time, obscuring much of the core of the Milky Way. But, out on night one, as we contended with these clouds, surprisingly rich compositions revealed themselves on our camera’s rear LCD screens. The clouds reflected the warm, yellow lights of the distant town of Palm Springs, which when contrasted against the cool blue of the night sky made for a rich and beautiful sky.
As the second week began with group two, clouds threatened to spoil our good time, obscuring much of the core of the Milky Way. But, out on night one, as we contended with these clouds, surprisingly rich compositions revealed themselves on our camera’s rear LCD screens. The clouds reflected the warm, yellow lights of the distant town of Palm Springs, which when contrasted against the cool blue of the night sky made for a rich and beautiful sky.
By night two for our second group, the clouds had blown out, and we were offered a beautiful and unobstructed view of the Milky Way. We also made the trek out to Scorpius Arch on night two, and then spent night three dodging the stabbing spines of the Cholla Cactus Garden. This has become one of my favorite locations to photograph the Milky Way, as the cholla themselves possess a bizarre beauty in their own right, and though dangerous to approach too closely, provide an ideal foreground subject to frame against the night sky.
I’ve yet to make a trek into the cholla garden without getting at least a couple of spines embedded somewhere on my body. It’s just part of the price of admission to such an ideal location to photograph the Milky Way.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of photographing the night sky in Joshua Tree is the unhindered access it provides to an array of seldom photographed locations. Sure, there are the classics, the Rock Arch, Skull Rock, and others. But, there are infinitely more compositions to be found via a short walk across the open landscape, save you avoid the occasional prickly pear or cholla.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of photographing the night sky in Joshua Tree is the unhindered access it provides to an array of seldom photographed locations. Sure, there are the classics, the Rock Arch, Skull Rock, and others. But, there are infinitely more compositions to be found via a short walk across the open landscape, save you avoid the occasional prickly pear or cholla.
Its rock formations, composed of solid granite and quartz, rise out of the most conspicuous of locations, and scrambling atop one is as easy as placing one foot in front of the other for the most part. It is a place ripe for the adventurous photographer to explore. Here, compositions can be found all around you. It can be overwhelming at times, but also exciting and rewarding to discover that composition that feels like it’s all yours.
Both of our groups for this spring’s BCJ departure into Joshua Tree’s nocturnal world consisted of some world-class travelers and photographers. Laughs were plentiful and the photography was exciting and invigorating. There is an expression I like that says, “if you want to slow down time, do a plank,” as in the exercise where you're suspended horizontally above the ground on your toes and forearms. But, I’ve discovered a new expression. If you want to speed time up, start photographing the Milky Way. Because, there are few genres of photography as exciting as night photography when after that 20-second exposure, the true beauty of the Milky Way reveals itself to you on the back of your camera.
It is addictive. So, for those wishing to watch the hours of the night fly by unnoticed, venture out into the great deserts of the American southwest with Backcountry Journeys to discover the unparalleled beauty of our home galaxy and the universe beyond as it reveals itself to you on your own camera screen.
arrow_drop_down_circle
Divider Text
AUTHOR
AUTHOR
Ben Blankenship was born in Nashville, Tennessee. As a young man, he studied ceramics and fine arts. In college, he pursued filmmaking, writing, and photography. After graduation, he worked for nearly a decade in broadcast television as a video editor, photographer, and cinematographer. Over the last several years, he has transitioned into working full-time as a photojournalist and travel photographer. He has worked abroad in Costa Rica, Belize, and Uganda. His photographic passions include wildlife, conservation, travel, events, and documenting social and political events around the world. His work has been published in the New York Times, The Oregonian Newspaper, and by Photographers Without Borders. He currently splits his time between living in Costa Rica and Tennessee. See his most recent work on his website here: www.ben-blankenship.com
SEARCH THE BLOG
clear
Join our free photo-travel community group on Facebook. A great place to swap stories & share images with fellow photographers!
Live events & webinars from the comfort of your own home. Free webinars on a variety of photography related topics – from photo editing to composition & more.
Check out the BCJ Trip Calendar for all of our upcoming Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris!
FEATURED TRIP:
Dolomites in Summer
Dolomites in Summer
Discover the enchanting landscapes of the Dolomites in Summer. Capture breathtaking images of wildflowers, dramatic alpine peaks, and quaint villages on this world-class adventure!
UPCOMING TRIPS WITH AVAILABILITY
UPCOMING TRIPS WITH AVAILABILITY
[Block//Web Spots Left]
[Block//Trip//Trip Category (Destinations)]
[Block//Start Date %M d %+0]- [Block//End Date %M d, Y%+0]
From [Block//Current Price]
arrow_drop_down_circle
Divider Text
READ OUR NEWSLETTER FOR NEW TRIPS, ARTICLES, & PROMOS
READ OUR NEWSLETTER FOR NEW TRIPS, ARTICLES, & PROMOS
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLCs - Copyright 2024
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2024
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.