Oct 2024 (One Month - One Picture)
Explore Landscapes #64: Finishing off a weekend of workshops with a hike up Ryan Mountain to catch the sunset was the perfect bridge between work weeks.
If you‘re new here, welcome. I’m a professional landscape photographer and hiking/backpacking guide specializing in Joshua Tree National Park. My weekly Monday newsletter is typically a long-form ‘teaching’ article for paid subscribers and workshop attendees. My free Thursday newsletter should interest a wider audience and is typically about my hiking, volunteering, or workshop adventures.
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October 2024 | Joshua Tree National Park
Driving back to Orange County on a Sunday afternoon after a weekend in Joshua Tree is always a good recipe for slow traffic. To avoid this, I typically stay later in the park, get a hike in, and have dinner before braving the I-10 back to ‘civilization.’
One of my favorite ‘quick’ hikes is Ryan Mountain, a 5,457-foot-high (1,663 m) mountain in Joshua Tree National Park—making it the fifth tallest ‘named’ peak in the park. The trail to the peak is moderately strenuous, ascending 1,050 feet (320 m) in just 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and climbing right from the trailhead.
I set out at a good pace, aiming to reach the top in 45 minutes or less (spoiler alert - I didn’t quite manage that - but I was close - next time, I’ll do it!).
There are fantastic 360° views from the top, which I enjoyed alone for the first 20 minutes I was up there. Sitting atop a mountain is quite meditative; I can feel any worries, concerns, or negative thoughts I might be holding in my head leave my body.
I spent quite some time photographing the sunset; however, the images were disappointing and not what I had hoped to achieve. It was well after sunset when I decided to leave and start the hike back down, knowing I’d finish the hike relying on the light from my headlamp.
When I was about halfway down, the last light of the day was putting on a wonderful light show, so I stopped and took a few images—the one above is my favorite.
I sat on the tailgate of my truck and ate my dinner before leaving the park and returning home. It's the perfect end to a weekend.
As I’ve done for several months, I’m pairing my monthly image with another image taken five years earlier. I enjoy seeing how my photography has changed over those five years - sometimes for the better (but not always).
October 2019 | Joshua Tree National Park
Having time to immerse myself in a place and focus entirely on photography is very rewarding. I sometimes need a whole day of exploring, hiking, and observing the landscape before I’m ready to take any photographs. A long weekend gives me that much-needed time to get my head in the game, switch off from the everyday, enjoy my location, and watch the light spread over the landscape.
I’ve driven past the Juniper Flats area of JT numerous times, but before this day, I hadn’t stopped to find a composition. I walked around the area trying to isolate some of the Joshua Trees from their neighbors. Eventually, I found these three clustered together with sufficient space around them to simplify the composition. I changed the tripod's height a few times before settling on this view; then I just had to wait for the sun to move down in the sky, a quick tripod adjust to position the sun in the v of the tree, and f/16 to create the sunburst.
I took a few more shots during the golden hour as the sun sank and disappeared below the horizon, but this is my favorite from the day. Spending 2-3 hours in one place, exploring compositions and the light is a luxury and a privilege I don’t take for granted. I drove back through the park and out to the campsite at Black Rock Canyon with a big smile - ready to light the fire and get some dinner on.
NOTE: As I was typing this, I realized that I had mixed up my images and posts from five years ago. The above photo was taken in September, and last month’s post about the Iron Door was taken in October. It's not a biggie, but I wanted to clarify my clerical error. I still love both images.
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Here are a few of my posts that you might be interested in reading:
Interesting musings, images, and art from others:
Close Calls and October Blooms by Erik Hogan
Nature Connection by Gill Moon Photography
Elevate your work with creative tension by Seth Werkheiser
The death of the pragmatic Western Republican by Jonathan P. Thompson
The Tempest by John Charlton
[RE:POST] "Dear Photography..." by Susane Helmert
Welcome to the mardi gras by Michela Griffith
New Episodes! 90 Miles from Needles: Catching up by Chris Clarke
Freezing moments through changing tides by Shital Marjoria
Bowman Lake (S24: Part 15) by Rachel Jeffrey
I swear I learn something from your newsletter every time. Even when you're not "teaching," you drop nuggets of wisdom that helps me think through my own photography!
Nice piece Jon and the photos are lovely. Appreciate the mention!