This past weekend was one of the best weekends ever, photography-wise! I left Glendale on Friday at 1pm. I was going to be meeting up with my new friend, Diane, at 4pm at the Motel 6 in Ridgecrest. Well, I ended up in traffic with her in Acton, and we stayed in touch the entire drive out.
I stopped at this great little blown-over house in Mojave to take a few pix on my way. I got to town before Diane, so I stopped at Albertons for water and snacks. After that, I met her at the Motel 6 and we settled in for a bit before heading to Denny’s for dinner.
I stayed up really late to adjust to the time-frame we’d be working with all weekend. She flew in from Vermont, then drove through the desert; so, she passed out early.
On Saturday, we got up, had breakfast at Denny’s, then hit up Wal-Mart for some essential gear to fight the winds. Our workshop started at 1:30pm at the Heritage Inn. We met our classmates, then discussed light painting, UrbEx, gels and snoots, flashlights, strobes and how to navigate the junkyard. We had an hour to grab food after the workshop lesson before meeting up at the junkyard. During that time, Diane & I went to Subway, Taco Bell and got changed into winter gear at the gas station.
Once in the yard, I wandered around looking for a spot to shoot. I then met up with Joe to learn some hands-on techniques. I then wandered around practicing. Later on, I met up with Troy for more hands-on learning, then wandered towards the back of the yard to practice on my own for a bit. Throughout the night, I ran into people, collaborated with them on images and ideas.
Throughout the night, I kept going back to the car to warm up. The winds were strong and it was sooooo cold out! I lost feeling in my fingers and toes many times. I had a lot of creative juices flowing and got some great shots that night. I went over them once back at the hotel just after 1:30am.
On Sunday, we met up at Kristy’s for breakfast with the entire group. We talked life, music, iPhones and photography. After that, we met up at the Heritage Inn for critiquing and additional pointers. It was so helpful! I really enjoyed seeing the different perspectives of subjects that I also shot. Once we left the meeting, Diane & I went to Wal-Mart to get more winter gear (yes, we actually needed more)! Then off to KFC, Subway and the gas station to change into our additional winter gear. We got some hand-warmers and I got toe-warmers. They really helped, but were a bit uncomfortable to walk on all night. Thankfully, the winds were lower than expected, and didn’t need to wear everything I bought. I felt like a marshmellow man as it was with so many layers!
Once in the junkyard, I stuck with Joe and Diane in the racetrack for a bit before heading off on my own to the back corner (near the Nazarene Bus). I spent about 2 hours back there, running into only one other student. I started walking toward the center of the yard, playing Marco Polo with Diane until we found each other. It was very difficult to see people, but the yard was remarkably well lit by the moonlight. I LOVED being out there alone. It was so beautiful and eerie. I felt so alive and so connected to the past with all these rusty old cars and trucks around me.
I stuck around the campers for a bit, then met up with a few people by the Cadillac Camper. It was 1pm, and time to meet up to leave; but, nobody around me wanted to go. I sure didn’t want to leave. Joe called Troy and we got another 1/2 hour. Everyone was cool with it. We got some more shots, and ended up not leaving until a few minutes to 2am. I could’ve stayed for a few more hours, but once in the warm car, I was ready to turn in.
Back at the hotel, I looked at my pix, then passed out around 3am or so. We got up early on Monday to pack up and check out. Diane & I decided to drive back together, so we dropped her rental off at Enterprise, then met up with Wayne & Patrick to visit the nearby ghost-towns. 
We went to Randsburg and Johannesburg for about an hour each before Diane & I started our drive back to LA. Traffic was smooth, so we got back pretty fast. There was a lot of traffic once we hit Burbank though, so we got off and went to BJ’s for dinner before I dropped her off at BUR airport.
It was sad to say good-bye and end our amazing weekend. I have tons of photos, and I’ll be putting them up later tonight or tomorrow. I can’t wait to go back to the desert and do some more night photography! Wow, what a weekend!
