The Forever Tree

This photo has been featured in National Geographic Books and other publications. The Forever Tree, located in the oldest forest in the world. Many of these trees live for 5000 years, and even after dying, can remain for 5000 more years. In other words, it's quite possible that some trees have been standing for as long as 10000 years, long long before Lucille Ball roamed the earth. :D I don't actually know if this tree has a name. I just like the name. Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, CA USA

Photographers often suggest you look in back of you when you are photographing or you might miss out on something better. While photographing Comet NEOWISE in late July 2020, that's exactly what I did. Comet in front of me, Milky Way in back. I had to photograph both. This is the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains by Owens Valley. At over 10,500 ft (3200m) in elevation, the sky is clearer, the stars more visceral, and the smile much larger. The bristlecone pines are some of the oldest living things on the planet, some growing before Buddha or George Burns walked the earth. I illuminated the ancient pine with a handheld ProtoMachines LED2 light painting device during the exposure for the earthbound elements, and let the universe do the lighting for the rest.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

This is a night photo of one of Sedona's most iconic scenes. Local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude had the Roman Catholic chapel built into the hillside, inspired in 1932 by the newly-constructed Empire State Building to build such a church. However, the chapel was not completed until 1956. I illuminated the chapel and mountain with warm white light from a handheld ProtoMachines LED2 light during the long exposure. Light painting to illuminate subjects is a beautiful, addictive art, as you can walk around the scene, deciding what to bring to light and what to keep in shadow. And it's more fun than AI-generated art.

Stereo Stereo

Comet NEOWISE was just discovered by scientists in March 2020, and here, just a few months later, some of us get to run to the Mojave Desert and enjoy this heavenly spectacle.

The Gold Eye and the Heavens Above

You know you are somewhere quiet and remote when you are keenly aware of that barely perceptible "hum" and are conscious of how well you can hear your breathing. Silence is louder and the stars shine brighter. This is Ojo Oro Arch, a hidden gem located in a secret corner of the Mojave Desert, not a strange new world from "Star Trek" but almost as far. Bodhi Smith, Chip Morton and I hiked several miles and hung out during this night photography trip. When I finally settled down to sleep under the stars around 3:30 am cocooned by a canopy of stars and the Milky Way arching directly overhead. Every several minutes, I saw shooting stars streaking through the night sky.

Listening for Light

Comet NEOWISE over some amazing radio telescopes, Mojave Desert, Southwestern United States, at twilight.

El Cielo y El Ojo Oro

You know you are somewhere quiet and remote when you are keenly aware of that barely perceptible "hum" and are conscious of how well you can hear your breathing. Silence is louder and the stars shine brighter. This is Ojo Oro Arch, a hidden gem located in a secret corner of the Mojave Desert, not a strange new world from "Star Trek" but almost as far. Bodhi Smith, Chip Morton and I hiked several miles and hung out during this night photography trip. When I finally settled down to sleep under the stars around 3:30 am cocooned by a canopy of stars and the Milky Way arching directly overhead. Every several minutes, I saw shooting stars streaking through the night sky.

Trona Glow Star Trails

Trona Pinnacles, Mojave Desert, California, USA. This photo was in the LA Times Travel Section for Readers Travel Photo of the Year and Omni Magazine.

Taking In The Cosmos

Two big "ears" listening to the universe. Milky Way as seen through some clouds and smoke from a fire, Owens Valley, CA.

Our New World

Feeling like an explorer on a new world in Arches National Park, Utah, watching the Milky Way drift toward the south as night progresses. The odd rocky formations in the distance are the rocks near the Windows Arches and Turret Arch. You can see the headlight trail of a car leaving this area. As you can see, the archway is enormous, extending up approximately 104 feet (31 m), with a span of 148 feet (45 m).

Big Bend Star Trails

The Organ (middle rock formation) in Zion National Park, Utah U.S.A. as seen at night during this long exposure photo showing the movement of the stars over a long period of time.

Slip Sliding Away

Imagine walking carefully on a flat white valley floor completely aglow from the light of a full moon on a whisper-quiet evening. That is Racetrack Playa in Death Valley N.P., CA, far from anywhere, and utterly enchanting.

The Spring of Endless Light

The Milky Way over Trona Pinnacles, CA on a very hot August evening. The pinnacles are tufas left from an ancient lake bed. I used a warm white light from a handheld Zhiyun FiveRay FR100C RGB LED tube light to illuminate the tufas while the camera's shutter was open during the long exposure night photo.

La Paz

You know you are somewhere quiet and remote when you are keenly aware of that barely perceptible "hum" and are conscious of how well you can hear your breathing. Silence is louder and the stars shine brighter. This is Ojo Oro Arch, a hidden gem located in a secret corner of the Mojave Desert, not a strange new world from "Star Trek" but almost as far. Bodhi Smith, Chip Morton and I hiked several miles and hung out during this night photography trip. When I finally settled down to sleep under the stars around 3:30 am cocooned by a canopy of stars and the Milky Way arching directly overhead. Every several minutes, I saw shooting stars streaking through the night sky.

Shanti Stupa Dream

Indian Himalayas. This is a dreamy long single exposure of Shanti Stupa.

Stars of Sabrina

Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, including two islands and its chilly alpine water, nestled among several 13,000 ft. tall peaks, with an elevation of 9128 ft. The elevation and relative lack of light pollution creates a beautifully vibrant Milky Way, something that filled me with awe.

Door to Infinity

Gazing up at Delicate Arch feels like peering into the infinite beyond, the magnificent arch acting as a portal for the center of our galaxy and beyond. For this photo, I waited a bit for the Milky Way to drift farther south, then lined it up underneath the arch for this image. I light painted the arch with a small Streamlight LED flashlight to keep the arch from going to silhouette. The Milky Way is easy to see on a moonless night such as this one. This is a long exposure night sky photo with light painting.

Rock of Ages

I love discovering these incredible landscapes, such as this large, very round boulder that I came across at night. As a kid, I spent a lot of time in nature, out in the woods. And as an adult, this has widened to include the desert night. And night photography has been a huge part of that, connecting me to a location in a way that even a hike never can. Long exposure night photo showing the movement of the stars over many many minutes.

The Descending Orb

The night before Easter, I was walking back to my car after a long night of shooting the night sky. I turned around and saw this beautiful view. I immediately unpacked my gear and took this photo, light painting the cliffs and foreground. Many times the last photo I take in an evening is the best or strangest one.

Star Trails at the OK Corral

Cowboy up! Pioneertown, California began as a Wild West motion picture set in the 1940s, with Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and others among the original developers and investors. The set was designed for the actors to live while using their homes in the movie. The Cisco Kid and many other Westerns were filmed here. Saloons, jails, banks, all the good stuff you need for a Western town.

The Ring Of Light

The Milky Way glowing with divine beauty above a rarely visited arch, located in a quiet, remote corner of the American Southwest on this warm summer evening.

The Celestial Church

Under a celestial embrace is this beautiful wooden church, perched atop a hill overlooking a valley that's nestled in the mountains at about 7400 feet in elevation in Nye County, Nevada. This 4/5 replica of a historic Catholic church, crafted with meticulous attention to detail, takes you back to the charm of the 19th century. But what truly brings the magic to life is the power of light painting! Armed with my trusty handheld ProtoMachines LED2 light, I illuminated the church's exterior with a warm white glow. Inside, I summoned hues of yellow to illuminate the sacred space, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. And that's a beautiful thing since it was just a few degrees above freezing on this enchanting May evening.

Temple Tree Star Trails

Zion National Park, Utah U.S.A. This long exposure photo shows the movement of the stars caused by the rotation of the earth over a long period of time. I returned to this location several years later, only to find that this tree had collapsed. This photo has been featured on numerous websites such as National Geographic and Smithsonian, being an Editor's Pick of the Week/Daily Dozen at the former.

Window Into Infinity

Utterly gobsmacked by the Milky Way in the clear desert air. This is a rare night sky selfie created while getting accustomed to my new camera and lens.This won a contest put on by Joshua Tree National Park and was featured in various brochures and such by the Desert Institute.

Trinity

The celestial movement of the stars in Joshua Tree National Park in the California desert as shown in this vibrant night sky photo of the desert.

Stars Dropped Down Like Rain

In 687 BC in Zuo Zhuan, one of the earliest Chinese works of narrative history, described the Lyrid meteor shower: "At night, fixed stars are invisible, at midnight, stars dropped down like rain." Vasquez Rocks, California, USA

Los Reyes Magos

The beautiful celestial movements around the North Star in Joshua Tree National Park, California.

Magic Rock

Raining stars over the California desert, a long exposure photo showing the celestial movements of the heavens.

Storm of Lights

The magnificent Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona after the sun has set several lightning storms during a very special evening of night photography.This photo has been featured in the LA Times Travel Section.

Bam Bam, Bam Bam Bam!

Bedrock City, Arizona, a kitschy roadside attraction that has unfortunately been closed. I have fond memories of this place, both as a kid as well as a night photographer.

The Eye of Alabama

The moon behind a natural arch rock formation, The Eye of Alabama, Alabama Hills, California. Long exposure night photo showing the movement of the stars over a long period of time.

The Sierras Through The Eye of the Arch

Mobius Arch and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountains during a cold winter night. Alabama Hills is an unincorporated area located in Inyo County in the US state of California. The star trails are caused by the rotation of the earth during the long exposure. All illumination and colored lights were done with a handheld flashlight during the exposure, and is not a post-processing creation.

The Dark Arch

Mobius Arch, Alabama Hills, CA, framing the awe-inspiring Milky Way. I photographed this right after photographing the Manzanar Camp. Perhaps because of that, I don't know, I decided to illuminate just the edges of Mobius Arch, keeping much of it dark as well. Regardless, it's a moody, mysterious image. I illuminated the arch with a hand-held ProtoMachines LED2 flashlight while the shutter was open on my tripod-mounted camera. I used a Pinout remote controller/app to set and trigger the camera.

I Guess I Should've Known By The Way You Parked Your Car Sideways

A car buried in sand in a remote part of Joshua Tree National Park in California, a place of many forgotten stories and secrets.

North Arch Rising

Arch Rock in Joshua Tree National Park in California. Long exposure night photo showing the movement of the stars created by the rotation of the earth.

Mirror, Mirror

Fjord, Djupavik, Iceland. We hung out, photographing the beautiful sunset across the fjord, during one of Iceland's gorgeous, hours-long sunset. One of the photographers, Suzanne, noted that the colors were finally started to fade. However, just ten minutes later, to our surprise, the colors began growing more intense again, and we quickly realized that we were now watching a very slow sunrise.

Excuse Me While I Touch The Sky

Joshua Tree National Park, California. JTNP is my spiritual home for night photography.

Mystical Stone

Half the Park is after dark. And so it is at Joshua Tree National Park in the Mojave Desert, California.

The Stars At The Temple

Zion National Park in South Utah, possibly the most beautiful region in the United States. Long exposure night photo showing the movement of the stars over a long period of time. Nature at its wondrous best.

The Last Supper

An eerie spectral gathering at Goldwell Open Air Museum near Beatty, NV, depicting The Last Supper. After photographing an abandoned place, I decided to take several photos here despite cold gusts of wind, unseasonably cold for June. I wore a couple of hoodies and a jacket while photographing these ghosts underneath the desert night sky. The streaks of light in the sky are stars moving during the four minute long exposure, movements created by the rotation of our earth. For we are forever moving, moving, moving.

Time Keeps On Slipping, Slipping, Into the Future

Imagine walking carefully on a flat white valley floor completely aglow from the light of a full moon on a whisper-quiet evening. That is Racetrack Playa in Death Valley N.P., CA, far from anywhere, and utterly enchanting. For the longest time, none of us were sure these mysterious stones left these tracks while sliding across the parched desert floor. Although we know now, it's still magical. This is an ant's eye view of one of the sliding stones.

Navajo Peace

A beautiful moonlit night, I had the whole night to wander in peace through Bryce Canyon in Utah and create photographs. This photo shows the passage of time through a long exposure photo, showing the movement of the stars. I love how one can compress time into a single image, showing time in a manner that we cannot perceive in person. This photograph was made during a full moon walk through the famous Wall Street on Navajo Loop Trail.

Stars of the Silver Screen

A large arch in the Alabama Hills, framing the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas. The second night of my mini-trip to beautiful Owens Valley had some clouds, but undaunted, I photographed this arch anyway. After all, the sky had this gauzy atmosphere, soft and beautiful, so I embraced it. I was surprised by how many people pulled up to the area, only to leave. I used a handheld ProtoMachines LED2 light painting device to illuminate the arch from several angles. Many films, including classic Westerns, and TV shows and commercials have been created here in the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, CA. I had someone approach me, and despite me yelling hello, did not respond. He was a bit lost and never heard me over the breeze, his headlamp weaving in and out of the rocks. When he arrived, I spoke to him for five minutes before realizing that I was still clutching my bear spray with my thumb on the activator, ready to go, which he never saw. He was a night photographer from Fresno.

The Slow Sliding of Time

Imagine walking carefully on a flat white valley floor completely aglow from the light of a full moon on a whisper-quiet evening. That is Racetrack Playa in Death Valley N.P., CA, far from anywhere, and utterly enchanting. For the longest time, none of us were sure these mysterious stones left these tracks while sliding across the parched desert floor.

May The Stars Shine For You

The "Soul Consoling Tower" at the Manzanar cemetery. 120,313 Japanese-Americans were forcibly removed to one of ten concentration camps during WWII. Manzanar in Owens Valley, CA, was one of these sites. Hopefully we will learn from history.

When The Light Goes Down In The Desert

Nightscape, Joshua Tree National Park, showing the celestial movement of the stars over a long period of time in this long exposure night photo.

Kill Bill Church

The "Kill Bill" Church from Quentin Tarantino's movie, featured in a scene where Bill had attempted to dispatch Uma Thurman's character in a bloody hail of gunfire. Aren't most of us intrigued by those desolate, hopeless desert scenes we see, thinking, "Where is that?" It conjures up different worlds. And true to form, the "Kill Bill" Church was desolate, nearby to nowhere. The church was also featured in "True Confessions" with Robert DeNiro, a movie based loosely on the Black Dahlia murders.

The Dark Tower

A stark reminder of our dark past, guard tower No. 8 rises above Manzanar Camp. Reconstructed in 2005, it is one of the eight guard towers that surrounded the camp. 120,313 Japanese-Americans were forcibly removed to one of ten concentration camps during WWII. Manzanar in Owens Valley, CA, was one of these sites.

Bedrock City

I came across Bedrock City as a kid on the way to the Grand Canyon, and first photographed it at night in 2015. It felt great to return here. I also got to meet the owner briefly. Bedrock City, Arizona is a roadside attraction, a recreation of The Flintstones' town. I photographed this on a cool, quiet evening, with the sound of coyotes howling in the distance.

Drago Rosso

This larger than life rattledragon sculpture was created by Ricardo Breceda, and is located in Borrego Springs in California, in the very southern part of the state, a 45 minute drive from Salton Sea.

Pointing To Jupiter

I had been trying to get to Patriarch Grove, at the end of a 12-mile dirt road way up in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, for several years. Every year, something would happen. Trees would topple. Too much snow. Lightning storm. On this day, I thought my efforts would again be scuttled. A large big rig had overturned in Highway 168. A motorist told me to turn back. I kept going. I pulled up to the accident. A policeman waved me through. Whewww! That was that! The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is located in the White Mountains by Owens Valley. At over 10,500 ft (3200m) in elevation, the sky is clearer, the stars more visceral, and my smile much larger. The bristlecone pines are some of the oldest living things on the planet, some growing before Buddha or George Burns walked the earth. This time, I did not use the ProtoMachines to light anything, letting the universe do the lighting for the rest.

Made from 21 light frames by Starry Landscape Stacker 1.8.0. Algorithm: Min Horizon Noise

The Soul of Success

Angel's Gate Park, San Pedro CA.

The Korean Bell of Friendship

Angel's Gate Park, San Pedro, CA. Black and white long exposure image.

Clear Mountain Mirror

The spectacular Milky Way soaring over one of the many mountain lakes near Mosquito Flats in the Eastern Sierra, Owens Valley, CA on a cool pleasant July evening in the mountains.

Ears are Red

Night photo of the starry skies enveloping a row of the Big Ears of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, run by Caltech since 1958, located in beautiful Owens Valley CA. I feel like in the last several years, every time I photograph the Milky Way in Owens Valley during the summer, there are numerous fires. I lit the radio telescopes with a ProtoMachines LED2 light painting device during the exposure. Special thanks to Caltech.

Tin Ear

love how this looks like an enormous large-headed robot walking toward me! Night photo of the starry skies enveloping one of the Big Ears of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, run by Caltech since 1958, located in beautiful Owens Valley CA. This looks like a decommissioned radio telescope. It was not operating and has peeling paint. I feel like in the last several years, every time I photograph the Milky Way in Owens Valley during the summer, there are numerous fires. I lit the radio telescope with a ProtoMachines LED2 light painting device during the exposure. Special thanks to Caltech.