CAMP WORKSHOP // JOSHUA TREE, CA. // PART 2

After falling asleep on the dusty ground outside of the boulder house, we packed up our things and ventured to our next stop, Joshua Tree State Park, but not without stopping at this funky rustic cafe on the way. The food was innnncredible, and I’m a total food snob
so I was on cloud 9.

My gorgeous friend Joe was my ride or die sidekick. I just loved everything about her. We had texted back and forth prior to the trip and I just knew she was gonna be wonderful. We met up at a small airport, which was very close to not happening. The runway lights of the airport we were landing at were all off due to a power outage. So her plane had turned all the way back around, and once they got word that the lights were back on, her plane turned BACK around again. Instead of meeting each other’s face at 9pm after a full day of travel, we instead met at about 12 am. It was a great memory though. Driving through this small town in a rental car at 12am, stopping at WalMart on the way for some snacks, and ending at our hotel for the night. The chatter was effortless and the combination of our singing voices was “top notch”. I definitely walked away with a sister friend with this one.

Next stop. Joshua Tree State Park. Mesmerizing boulders, funky trees that look like they’re straight out of a Dr.Seuss book, and wild & free desert coyotes roaming with ease. We had
Q & A at camp, explored at golden hour snapping photos of one another, climbed Cyclops Rock to watch the sunset, and then headed back to camp for roasted hot dogs and s’mores.

I had a REALLY hard time not laughing at everything Sloan did. He looks like he’s straight out of the Australian outback, and he acts in a way that he know will make you smile. It was hard not to crack up when he latched on to Damien’s arm like a scared toddler.
Check out his work here—> Sloan Breeden Photography

Who dat in da green hat you ask? That’s Damien. Super Kind. Super humble. Super talented.
and just Super in general.
Check out his talent and adventures at
Damien Weidner Photography.

There’s Joe again! She’s a beauty! And her work is AMAZING!!! Seriously…. just look….
Joe Johnson Photography

This girl though… her name is Jen and she’s a fun loving good time. A happy hearted human with a great smile to match.. AND she was in the middle of moving to Portland from the East Coast! Oregon is so happy to have her!
Jen Chanyi Photography

.Kylie.
Sweet, Young, and Energetic. She’s at ease behind the camera, and clearly looks great in front of it too 😉
Check out her loveliness here—> Kylie Nic Photography

Isn’t Kelly gorgeous?!?! She was so easy going, and adventured all the way from Colorado. We both had little kiddos back at home that we were thinking about the whole time, but in the same token needed to step out of our comfort zones, and this workshop was all about that. Check out her work here….I could stare at her website all day —–> Kelly Erin Photography

Just before sunset we scaled these incredible boulders to the top. The view was amazing and just the memory itself is so fun to go back to. Ryan “Camp dad” in his polka dot socks, Ben + Katch having a moment, and everyone at the same time feeling grateful for this workshop.

That’s Zach and he spent his 20th birthday with us. I can’t even remember what I was like when I was 20, but it definitely didn’t consist of direction and focus and a photography workshop in California. Check out his awesomeness here —-> ZACHARIAS DAMBERGER

After roasted hot dogs and s’mores for dinner, we took direction from Ryan Longnecker and listened to him explain night sky photography. You can either read a book for hours and kind of figure it out, or you can listen to Ryan talk for 10 minutes and feel good about the images you end up with afterwards.
We ventured into the dark desert with headlamps and tripods to put our new found knowledge to the test. It was crazy. Here I was alone, stepping over bushes in the middle of Joshua Tree desert, not being able to see my surroundings except for where my headlamp was pointing, and somehow I felt totally comfortable. It was incredible how adjusting the settings to the numbers Ryan gave us, and ending up with a photo that looks like it was taken on another planet. I’m so excited to walk away feeling so much more comfortable and excited about night time photography.
Katch Silva actually just recently posted some images from a session she did by the light of the moon only and they are gorgeous! See for yourself Here !

Just like that, the workshop had come to an end. We packed up and said our goodbyes, but now know I have places to travel with new friends who I can’t wait to meet up with again.
Ryan snapped this awesome photo of the crew, and I just lovvvvvvve it.
Go team!