June 2, 2023 - The Mojave's Iconic Joshua Tree

Iconic trees hold landscape photography to a higher standard. Among the most sought after photo subjects include bald cypress, live oak, giant sequoia, and the Joshua tree. Except the Joshua Tree is not a tree. Despite its ability to grow a trunk higher than 30 feet and multiple branches along the way, the Joshua Tree is a member of the agave family, closely  associated with grasses and orchids. This alone makes the Joshua Tree iconic, but for a photographer it is much more than that.

In his classic book ‘The Right Stuff', author Tom Wolf describes Joshua Trees in the most unflattering way - “twisted freaks of the plant world” and “at dusk the Joshua trees stood out in silhouette on the fossil wasteland like some arthritic nightmare”. Why would a ghastly tree be so popular among photographers?

No doubt, intensely beautiful images of Joshua Trees have been created. I think it is because the Joshua’s strange individuality gives photographers a generous artistic license without the risk of creating cliché landscape scenes. The Joshua Tree is a wondrous plant that exudes a carefree whimsy, each one growing to its own set of rules. How can one not appreciate the photogenic appeal of its versatility?

Joshua Tree National Park has its popular locations which I avoided for my evening shoot. Parked on a remote gravel road far from the crowds, I wandered alone into the desert terrain among the Joshua trees and boulder edifices. The trees of varying heights and number of branches stood out with enough separation between them to give each one an identity. Low lying scrubby plants and small cacti covered the hard ground but with plenty of space between for a hiker to walk comfortably on the desert floor.

Maneuvering through the desert, I looked at trees from every angle. I was drawn mostly to the tallest ones that are old enough to achieve a traditional tree-like form without giving up its adventurous growth. The tall trees stood out like weathered sentinels against a bright sky – boldly displaying their bouquet of branches. A compositional rule of separation comes easily in these desert scenes where plants allow each other generous space; thus, foreground subjects can be arranged in the most pleasing way.

As the sun set, the blue sky began melting into the gilded desert as golden boulders caught the last light of the day to glow like embers scattered across the desert floor. The pale full moon lingered in the sky, patiently waiting for the light to disappear. All that served as a lovely backdrop to a foreground of Joshua Trees.

The ember glow slowly faded away as the sun disappeared behind tall rocks. I then turned to face them and moved to the other side of a large tree that became a bold silhouette. I imagined an unconscious person transported to this place at night only to wake up suddenly to see Joshua Tree silhouettes standing over them. They might think they were surrounded by multi-limbed aliens.

The next day proved to be as much fun with the Joshua Trees. A full sun and cloudless blue sky painted the desert with strong contrasts, a clear invitation to black and white images. Soon after, I had to leave these iconic trees behind. As there are thousands of Joshua Trees (with no two alike) throughout the Mojave Desert, there are as many unique photographic opportunities. That’s iconic.

“Where to next?”, she asked.