The pandemic continues. I can’t get out much. But I have a May 2020 Photo of the Month. LM118 is my selection.
LM118 Background
I only made it out once in May, and I only made 12 images. It’s a little frustrating that my Photo of the Month, LM118, is from the same location as March’s image.
When I finally hit the road and decided to visit Sunrise Highway, I had all the normal stops in mind. A storm was clearing over Laguna Crest. The storm was fierce, and the majority of Sunrise Highway had no visibility.
This view is from what I call Storm Canyon # 2. It is not the USFS-maintained Storm Canyon overlook. This overlook, which is easily missed, is closer to the Penny Pines area. It just so happened that I had a momentary clearing.
The winds were easily sustained 60mph. This is a 30 second exposure. It required me to push down on my tripod with all of my weight to hold it down during some very fierce wind.
I real the image was a little rushed, and that is because a huge group of teenagers showed up. This isn’t a tourist spot, and most people don’t know it exists. How they pulled over to this spot, I have no idea. There were 8 cars, most of them of the sports variety. About 20-25 people got out! None of them were wearing masks. They were yelling and screwing around, ruining the peace and solitude I was looking for. Finally, one of them pointed my way, saying, “Oh yes, this is the spot to get my ‘Gram!” Suddenly, I had 25 people standing around me, again, with no masks. Irritated, I immediately grabbed my gear and left.
2020 is the worst year ever.
As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the image.
Further Viewing
Photos of the Month Portfolio Archive
T.M. Schultze Fine Art America Print Store
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.