My February 2026 Photo of the Month is MTRP1123, a photograph made in San Diego’s Mission Trails Regional Park.
MTRP1123 Background
February was not an active month. I was involved in other projects that took up a lot of time, and I missed several chances to get out and take some photographs.
So here I was, on the last day of the month, out hiking in what felt like 90 degree temperatures, watching the clouds fade away. But, it’s been said before that a good photographer can find a good image in any conditions.
This was along the Corte Playa Catalina trailhead in Mission Trails, a place I liked to use to hike the “rim” of the West side of the park.
As it turned out, the best clouds for a good landscape photograph were facing the South. I also had an option to the East with a rising moon, but I was fighting power lines and trying to find a composition I liked. So, looking South, with the largest expanse of the park before urbanity takes over, was my best find.
While we have had a good rain season, nature can turn off the spigot in Southern California in an instant, and I can’t say I loved February temperatures in the 90s. We are supposedly not in the desert, but it is still a coastal arid region moderated by early morning clouds (when they are present).
On that note, it is on to March, and somehow ending the first quarter of 2026.
As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the image.
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T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.