Twentynine Palms is a small town near Joshua Tree National Park and about an hour’s drive from Palm Springs. This destination is off the beaten path and offers a great escape to nature, vast desert landscapes and rugged mountains.
Houses and cottages are scattered across the desert landscape. This is a unique opportunity to see and experience desert living. This is also an excellent opportunity to experiment with landscape and abstract photography.
The streets are marked with wooden posts and are actually sand dirt roads, some of which are better maintained than others. When planning a road trip, consider taking a four-wheel drive vehicle for going through the sand.
When creating abstract images, it is essential to consider the emotions they will evoke and the abstract concepts they convey.
Photography ideas for abstract images are everywhere in the desert. Natural patterns of sand dunes, road lines, jagged silhouettes of dried out bushes, light and shadows are all prime candidates for abstract art. The light in the high desert near Twentynine Palms is special as well, the skies are mostly blue and clear, and can create a nice background for abstract art images.
Mountains surround this Mojave Desert and will contrast nicely with the vast flat surface of the desert. In fact, the desert is about contrasts – hot during the day and cold immediately after sunset, dry and barren yet still, somehow, nature manages to create species of desert plants able to survive here. Abandoned and wrecked homes make us feel eternity and understand that our human presence here is only temporary. Those are powerful abstract concepts.
Photography tips for abstract image photography:
1. Aim at shooting at sunset and sunrise to get the most out of desert light.
2. Set the aperture higher for a larger depth of field and more detail.
3. In low-light situations, use a tripod or other support.
4. Experiment with bracketing modes for high dynamic range photos.
5. Check the lens for dust, as it is very dry in the desert and can get quite windy during the day.
Other things to do while in the area:
Take a road trip to Lake Hemet area to escape the heat of the desert
Enjoy great nature while hiking at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve
Tags: abstract art / desert trips / landscape photography / USA