Welcome to Joshua Tree,
where clashing deserts forge wonder
March 12-15, 2026
Click here to join us!
Embark on a nocturnal workshop March 12-15, 2026 with night photographers Jeff McCrum and Shehab Hossain in Joshua Tree! This national park spans the Mojave and Colorado deserts and has some of the darkest night skies in California, with a Bortle scale of 2, and a concerned local populace dedicated to preserving the beauty of the night sky!
Join us for three nights in this majestic national treasure as we explore the vast desert and work on various light painting techniques under the open skies. We will explore miles and miles of two of America’s astonishing deserts, the California and Mojave, each with their own fascinating climate, history, and terrain. We will capture the natural interactions of these deserts while observing, recording, and celebrating the astonishing dark skies.
The workshop includes locations that echo the history of the pioneers who came before, as we visit abandoned farms, mills, and mines. Joshua Tree’s history goes back to the Pinto Culture of 8000 BCE, then later Native American tribes, Spanish explorers, Mexicans, fur trappers, cattle rustlers, gold miners, and ranchers. The eponymous Joshua trees come from the higher Mohave side to the west that meets the eastern Colorado Desert and its scrub brush, Cholla cactus, and California’s only native palm, the California fan palm. This clashing of deserts also created geological upthrusts of rock and arches throughout. All of these are perfect for light painting and crafting interesting foregrounds, using handheld lights, remote panel lights, and light orbs.
The best reason for visiting this particular park comes from the interplay of these foreground opportunities with the breathtaking Milky Way stretching overhead, as the night sky comes alive with ancient constellations. Participants will receive instruction in capturing star trails, high ISO star points, and a better understanding of how stars move across the sky, along with the challenge of capturing the foreground without moonlight. We will also discuss post-production techniques like star stacking, denoise programs, and combining stacked images to help you capture your vision in the field. Additional classes will discuss an array of night photography techniques like panoramas, Little Planets, reflections, and creative techniques to use anywhere in the world. Don't miss this unique opportunity to paint the desert nightscape with your lens!
To find out more about the agenda, equipment, cancellation or other policies, please click here.
Our typical days:
We will meet after lunch around noon every day to have a discussion about the topic of the day, review images and discuss any other other photographic ideas, issues, concerns, or interests. While we only have three days, our intent is to go through a wide array of topics:
- Typical camera settings, high ISO test shots and low ISO results,
- Balancing existing light levels with additive light painting,
- Tools of the trade: flashlights, light panels, LEDs, and halogen,
- Image stacking for light painting and stars,
- Differences between starlight and moonlight,
- Star trackers and technological aids,
- Panoramas and capturing more than what your lenses allow,
- Post-processing in Lightroom, Photoshop and other options for Milky Way, stars, Little Planets, and more,
- Daily image critiques of your work.
We will take a dinner break around 5 PM and then reconvene approximately an hour later to depart for evening adventures near 6 PM to scout the locations and capture blue hour. Our starting destinations are around 30 minutes from Twentynine Palms and sunset is around 7:00, leaving us some time to have a look while there is still daylight.
Overall, the intent is to make this your workshop. Jeff and Shehab are there to support participants, aiding you in achieving your vision. We will be answering questions, providing advice, or simply leaving you space to shoot. We can also adjust times or locations as the group and the weather dictates, as nature cannot be modified by human means and there may be events or opportunities that we wish to take advantage of. We want to help you create amazing images for your portfolio and help you showcase your vision of one of the nation’s most stunning locations.
Day One: Connecting to the Space
Our first night in the desert will start with a meeting at one in the afternoon to start class. We will discuss the challenges of capturing the night with an overview of night photography techniques, typical equipment settings, and the locations and plans for every night in the park.
We will start our shooting Thursday night near Jumbo Rocks and the Live Oak picnic area for some star trails and jump right in with some light painting with high ISOs to capture star points.
Day Two: Connecting to the Craft
We will spend some classroom time after lunch with an image review from the previous day and an open discussion about low light craft and further light painting techniques.
That evening we will start at the Cholla Cactus Garden and then shift to the White Tank and Arch Rock area to work on light painting skills, balancing the natural foregrounds with the amazing stars, hopefully including an early Milky Way.
Day Three: Connecting to the Light
The afternoon starts with image review from the previous day and some post-production techniques to make your images shine. Class will also focus on light painting and techniques for spinning light orbs and light wands!
After dinner will use those light painting techniques as we marry function onto form with the architectural elements at Ryan Ranch and the staggering natural beauty of Hidden Valley.
Day Four: Connecting Back to the World
Packing and then a regretful return back to the world. We will make ourselves available during the morning and at lunch for any last discussions or questions you might want to consider during your trip home.
Alternatively, you can make your own arrangements and stay in the area for longer; please feel free to ask us about locations or any other travel you are interested in we are always happy to help!
Group size: 10 maximum, with two instructors.
Physical challenge: Moderate walking speed but approximately one mile (2 km) a day total walking across typical desert trail conditions.
Experience level:
All.
Students who are entirely new to photography will want to get in touch with Jeff to make sure you are prepared for the course; he may recommend additional readings before coming. But we sincerely mean all levels, if you do not own a camera or a tripod we can connect you with rental companies. If you want to bring analog cameras we will help teach you about how we shoot analog at night.
Lodging:
None provided but we have a list of recommended hotels in the Twentynine Palms area. We recommend Twentynine Palms over Joshua Tree itself as we will be using the east side road to access the park.
Getting there:
Los Angeles is approximately two and a half hours to the west of Joshua Tree National Park, LAX is the major international airport to LA and there are a few smaller ones as well. Palm Springs (PSP) is the closest to the park, about an hour away, and has a good number of daily flights. Ontario, CA (ONT) is northwest of the park, about two hours away, and may also provide a better fare or schedule option for you.
Car rentals are also available at all of these airports and highly recommended. While we will be travelling as a group to the shoots every evening you may want to have some flexibility about your return time. There is a bus from Palm Springs airport but not from LAX.
What’s not included:
Travel to or from your home to Joshua Tree
Housing near Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms
Meals or alcoholic beverages
Travel Insurance
Workshop costs include:
All fees and permits for taking photos at night in the park
Daily classes and instruction in night photography, 12 hours in total
Three full nights of field photography, 15 hours at the minimum
At least two locations per night
Travel throughout the park to and from shoots every evening
Why come on our night photography workshop?
Joshua Tree has been a genesis for creative and interesting art since long before U2 visited. During the day the spare desert landscape leaves you alone with your thoughts with the adjacent towns nearby filled with colorful local art and great restaurants. At night, however, the sky takes on an otherworldly beauty, revealing stars, constallations, galaxies, and hopefully a meteor or two, we just have to be out and looking. This is a space that truly provides a glimpse into the wonder of Earth’s amazing natural beauty and space in the cosmos. To add to all this natural beauty we will be using light painting to highlight foregrounds and help connect the terrestrial to the stars by giving them both equal weight or by adding our own light globes or trails to our images.
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I can personally vouch for Jeff's ability to navigate the maze-like city of Venice perfectly after many trips traveling and shooting there -- and of course he's a good night photographer, too!
Rachel
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Interesting location that was very enjoyable to explore. Jeff knows the location well and directed us to locations I probably would not have found on my own.
Brian
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Wonderful outing! learned a lot and got to try things in a unique environment.
Joseph
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I had a blast and it was great meeting everyone
Eugene
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What a rare opportunity and thanks Jeff for the teaching and making it happen. Can't wait for the next one.
Pranav
