Oooh, Desert!

I don't like the desert. There are creepy things out there: snakes, scorpions, lizards, vultures, and UFO's. (Okay, not really sure about the last one. But maybe.) So when Tim suggested going out to Joshua Tree National Park, I wasn't entirely digging it. I liked the idea of seeing a place loaded with mutant-looking trees, yet the thought of being out in thousand-degree heat and trudging endlessly through a sea of sand dunes while buzzards circled overhead... not so appealing. If it's not obvious to you by now, I've never really been to the desert. But I do watch movies and one thing I've learned: they should be avoided. HOWEVER, not wanting to put the brakes on what could be an amazing adventure, I said, "Yes! Let's do this thing!" Then, I hoped for the best.

I needn't have worried. It Was Awesome, Baby!

We set out on a Saturday morning. Loaded with about a gazillion cameras and a bazillion pieces of photographic equipment (not to mention our trusty sidekicks, Domo and Thing One), we took a leisurely drive, stopping along the way to photograph the windmills along Interstate 10, catching a local artist's photography exhibit in Morongo Canyon and also taking a hike on the nature trail. Even with all the stops along the way, we made it to Joshua Tree by early afternoon.

After prepping our gear and grabbing lunch, we hurried to the park.

Then came the horror! Tim busted out video mode on the Fuji, went into full Francis Ford Coppola mode, and made me do about fifty takes for the group page video. (sigh) It was exhausting and I made a mental note to fire my agent upon our return to Yucaipa. (I don't have an agent, really. But if I did...FIRED!)

We finally finished taping, then blazed a trail into the park. It was then that I made the first of many discoveries: there are a lot of rock climbers in Joshua Tree.

>


Probably because there are a lot of rocks. Big ones.


Yeah. Just like that. Kind of impressive actually.

The park itself is ginormous, like half of Southern California! Or at least a really big part of it. All I know is that we had a lot of ground to cover on that first afternoon. The Blitz was like this; drive, park, get out, Blitz, jump back in the Pathfinder, continue and repeat. Our last hike of the day was the longest, when we headed out to Barker Dam. We hit the area during the golden hour before sunset. We Blitzed, we chilled, then we hiked back. Tim made one final stop as the sun went down, getting an amazing shot of the desert just as night fell.

Nope, that isn't it. To see that pic, and more pics from the weekend (you didn't think we could Blitz it in one afternoon, did ya?), CLICK HERE and check out the Joshua Tree Blitz.

And that video? Uh...hey, how about them Dodgers?

Follow Your Blitz, everybody!

[Pssst! Tim sez: Check out my cool video on the Facebook Fan Page. It rocks!]

Due to Technical Difficulties Beyond Our Control...

...we weren't able to update last night. Oh, the tragedy! But, we're working diligently to bring you the pics of our Joshua Tree PhotoBlitz adventure. In the meantime, please enjoy the following and have a lovely day.

Hasta later, Blitzers!

The Style Counsel

We are nothing, if not fashionable.

Okay, maybe not so much. BUT, we do have style.


Individuality.


A certain je ne sais what.

And so do you.

Yes, Blitzers, in the immortal words of Nikka Costa, "Everybody Got Their Something".

Call it "vision", or "aesthetic" or "My Aunt Mabel from Poughkeepsie", it is what makes your work your own. "It" is you, with all your knowledge, and experiences, and dreams, and all that stuff packed inside your mind, heart, and soul, distilled into that crazy, personal PhotoBlitzosity that makes you say, "Gee, hubcaps are the ultimate photo subject." Or makes you want to shoot only in B&W. Or only film. Whatever. It's that quality that makes your something stand out from everybody else's' something.

Everything you create is shaped by you. Even if you imitate others as you learn, the end product is yours alone. Your work, however quirky or mainstream, is all you can do. So don't try to make your stuff like everyone else's. Follow YOUR Blitz. Keep learning technical skills, by all means, and study art and music and film and auto repair...feed your mind and develop as a person. All your efforts will give your work more depth and express more personality. Not to mention make life more fun.

Isn't that what it's all about anyway?

For a few more of our pics, Click Here. For more fun, try to guess who took which pic. No peeking at the descriptions!

There's a time for every star to shine...

“I see my path, but I don't know
where it leads. Not knowing
where I'm going is what inspires me
to travel it.”

~ Rosalia de Castro ~

Let's Have a Big Smile for the Camera!

Nice.