I have been looking forward to this Birthday Celebration in Joshua Tree since January!
That’s when my client first commissioned me for this epic celebration. I mean, how often does your little sister turn the big 4-0? And some of their bestest friends were going to be joining them for this once in a lifetime event.
I got even more excited when my client sent me the link to the vacation house they were going to be renting in Joshua Tree for the birthday weekend. This Bungalow in Joshua Tree had a variety of old neon signs and vintage rusty, vehicles strewn about the property. And the pictures from the website did not even tell the whole story of what was at the bungalow.
The Planning…
For months we traded ideas on Pinterest, collaborating to make this a special event for her sister. It’s amazing all the pins there are for birthday celebration ideas for adults there are in Pinterest. My client told me they definitely wanted a western theme to this whole event since it was taking place in the middle of the desert. Planning ahead, I made some western themed photo booth props (which I found on Pinterest) to use in a few photos. And we both agreed that some photos at sunset were a must. Great minds think alike.
The session was only supposed to be about an hour long, but once I saw the property, all kinds of ideas were flowing from my creativity center. One of those ideas being that I seriously needed to come back here another time when I could have the entire property to myself to photograph all the vintage artifacts laying around in the desert.
But back to the session…
With my shot list in hand, we went about the property capturing the girls having a blast in the desert. I kept a close eye on the setting sun to make sure I did not miss one of the “money” shots, as they say. I only wish that there had been a few clouds in the sky to make it a more epic sunset, like the desert is known for. But you make due with what nature provides you when photographing outdoors.
If their dinner wasn’t ready to be pulled out of the oven, we could have easily spent hours creating images around all the neon signs laid out on the property. And yes, they did light up. Each and every one of them.
As I was packing up my gear, one of the ladies was helping me and she spied some more props I had sitting in a bag. It was my rock-n-roll photo booth props. She got all excited and called all the ladies out for just a few more photos. I don’t think I have ever had more fun while photographing a session.
And once all the images were delivered to my client and all the ladies who attended, one by one I saw them change their Facebook Cover Photos to the image of them rocking out with the blowup keyboard and microphone props. That is the best compliment any client can pay me.
In closing, if you are looking for an epic location to get away from the concrete jungle, this vacation rental in Joshua Tree is a must visit in my opinion. And I know I’ll be talking to the owner in the near future to schedule some private time for me and my camera in the near future.
And if you’re looking for a photographer to capture your special event in the desert, call me so we can start planning your next epic event!