In early May, Deb Kmetz and I attended the Palm Springs Photo Festival in California. It offered us a chance to not only participate in many different conference events, but also the opportunity to photograph unique landscapes, very different from those near our homes in New Jersey.

Arriving on the Saturday before, we got up early the next morning, although not too difficult since our bodies were still on New Jersey Time, to photograph sunrise at the Salton Sea. It is a beautiful but odd place that led to many terrific images.

I attended a workshop with Greg Gorman, a photographer of celebrities and art nudes. His instruction and critiques were terrific. Even in the short period we were together I believe we all learned quite a bit. Deb studied with Brooke Shaden, another of the fantastic presenters who were all so giving of their time.

The week ended for us with a trip to Joshua Tree National Park, another for sunrise. This is a location where everywhere you go the view is different, and also beautiful. In the end we spent about 12 hours in and around the park. Before leaving for the flight home we also visited a local botanical garden where I made my first hummingbird photographs, a subject that is a passion for Deb, and took a ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which offers another unique experience.

I have added a gallery to the main part of this site with many more photographs of all parts of the trip.