Late last Thursday night, two friends and I left for Joshua Tree in hopes of capturing some killer Milky Way photos. The park is about a two hour drive from Orange County, and, because we needed to be back for class in the morning, our plan was to drive there, take photos, and drive back by 6:00. A challenge, sure, but certainly not impossible. The biggest variable of the night was cloud cover, as the forecast had been constantly varying between partly cloudy or completely clear - we were hoping for the latter.
Upon arriving at the park, we were greeted with nearly completely clear skies - except, of course, right where the Milky Way was. Thus, unfortunately, I was not able to capture it as I had hoped. Nonetheless, I was able to capture several photos that I am satisfied with; for now, at least. This trip was also my first time using a powerful flashlight to create a cool light beam effect, and I think it came out very well.
We made it back to Orange County at around 6:30 with just enough time to take a quick nap before class. It was an exhausting trip, but well-worth the experience and photos that came from it.
I'll be returning to Joshua Tree in a few weeks (hopefully with clear skies) for one final attempt at shooting the Milky Way there before returning back to Oregon for summer.
My personal favorite from Thursday night/Friday morning's adventure.