Joshua Tree

Orion hangs in the night sky over Joshua Tree National Park. Sony A7RIII with Zeiss Batis 18mm and Lume Cube. 15 second exposure, ISO1600 at F2.8

The name had been in my life at least since the U2 album of that name appeared in 1987, with a lone Joshua Tree featured on the album graphics. (Not actually photographed in Joshua Tree National Park, but in the Mojave desert.) Perhaps before that, because copies of the National Geographic Magazine came into our home every month as I was growing up and I used to pour over the photographs, dreaming one day of being able to visit some of these magnificent locations.

My childhood dreams finally began to be realised this year when we found ourselves staying only an hour’s drive from the entrance to the National Park. I had been hoping to book a photographic workshop in the park at night with a well known professional photographer to capture the night sky with the iconic trees in the foreground but unfortunately the weather turned inclement - it actually rained - the workshop was cancelled and the photographer concerned went to Arizone instead!

However, thanks to my son-in-law’s willingness to accompany me and to a change for better in the weather, the first clear night found me hunting for compositions in the dark! This is not what I would recommend, but it was all I could do. Fortunately there were other photographers around so that helped alert me to where some of the better locations might be.

I was amazed at how cold it was in the desert - 7 degrees centigrade. I had brought a jacket just in case, which helped a little but I was not well prepared! (Next time!)

Our time was very limited - around 50 minutes in the park itself - so there was no question of driving into the more remote areas where there is less light pollution from the surrounding towns. Fortunately we didn’t have to go far before spotting a perfect subject conveniently growing at the side of the road, with Orion shining above it. Initially I shot a couple of silhouettes but then I decided to use the light from a Lume Cube I had brought with me, diffused through a paper handkerchief! That provided just enough illumination to make the Joshua Tree stand out from its background. (It took several attempts before I got the balance where I wanted it.)

There was a final opportunity to pay another brief visit to the park on our way back to LA. We managed to time this for sunset. Once again it was a bit of a scramble to find compositions but I was very happy with the results, given the time constraints.

This first view of the park gives an idea of the rough desert terrain and the chaotic nature of this challenging landscape. Unlike anything I had ever experienced.

A low sun was still shining as I got out of our van and tried to make some order out of the rather chaotic landscape, while avoiding the many tourists who were there - and the barbs of the cacti!

Shooting with the sun provided the best lighting. There was no time to use a tripod. All sunset photos were taken with the Sony 24-105 lens which is exceptionally versatile.

In addition to the trees one of the main attractions of the park are the amazing rock formations. I would have loved to have explored these more.

• Joshua Trees are not really trees! They are a type of yucca, a perennial shrub that only grows in the American South West. It grows to a height between 5 and 16 metres tall, and takes on a variety of shapes. Some are quite thick, others are rather spindly in form. And they are as prickly as they look! Many of them were in bloom when we were there in February, which was a nice bonus. While the specifics vary, the name ‘Joshua’ appears to have been given to the tree by early Mormons who saw the branches of the tree as arms outstretched in supplication, like the biblical Joshua.

I just managed to capture the setting sun before it disappeared behind a bank of cloud. I would have preferred to have stood a couple of metres to the right but the spot was already occupied!

When the sun went down the other photographers immediately packed their gear away. I stayed and was rewarded with some beautiful light.

The setting sun was still lighting up the clouds as once more I shot with the light.

Meanwhile my grandchildren were having great fun in this startling landscape. I was able to get them to sit still for a few seconds to grab a shot I will long cherish. If you get the impression that they were cold, you are right!

I found Joshua Tree National Park to be a wild, rough, bleak yet beautiful place. I would love to return to experience it all over again and to explore deeper into its vast territory. As a first visit to a National Park in the USA it could hardly have been more inspiring. I’ll leave the last word to the iconic ‘tree’ that gives it its name.