Shooting the Shooter - Dusk and Dawn
There’s something special about dawn and dusk. I use the terms loosely, because the several minutes just after sunrise or just before sunset can be just as special. For me, it’s the rapid transition of light during that period that can be mesmerizing, and photographically amazing. It’s really special when you spend both a dawn and dusk at the same location, though for me it’s usually sequenced as a dusk and dawn combination. They’re memorable. Lake Powell with Ann. Canyonlands with Len. The Lamar Valley and the Painted Hills. Now add Joshua Tree.
Although it was a long day getting to Joshua Tree NP, there was still plenty of sunlight left in the day for photography. After shooting a bit we decided to stop by an area we’d driven past previously, in large part because it was looking rather interesting in the very late afternoon sun. As it was, we wound up staying there until the sun set and then continued to look for images as we made our way back to the car. As Ann and I stopped for one final set of photographs, I finished quicker than her and stood there enjoying the scenery. When I looked over, Ann was still working her location and I decided to make an image of her at work.
She was between making images, recomposing her tripod and this is the image she made after she had done that.
Yeah, we pretty much had a full moon. Had we had more time (on our trip), we probably would have photographed a bit longer using the moon as a light source. As it was, we were exhausted and headed into town for a short night’s sleep.
The next morning we were at it again, as you know from the Morning Song post. We stopped at an area we had scouted out previously (both on-line from the Netherlands, and during a quick scouting stop the previous afternoon to verify it would be a viable morning location).
By the time I’d gotten back to Ann from my own photography, the sun was starting to creep over the horizon.
This was the image Ann had just made moments before I made my image. Ann is checking it out on her camera.
She made another image, with the more bright sunlight, after checking the above image out. However, the softer glow of the rocks in this image really makes it the better of the two. It might make for a very interesting print.
I think Ann and I both have come to realize that we need to spend more time at Joshua Tree NP. Yes it can be difficult to photograph, particularly when the sun is blazing. But as with so many desert environments, it becomes magical in those transition periods of day and night. We just need to be around to photograph more of them, and to explore the riches it has to offer.