Joshua Lee

This adventure through the backroads of Death Valley with @dylan_demarcus and @jay.blair__ had to be one of my favorite moments of the trip. We used a compass and a map to navigate through the unmarked roads and find the settlement of Gold Point on the edge of California and Nevada. This was one of the most iconic Wild West type experiences I’ve ever had. It was an old mining town that became a ghost town for sometime then some old boys decided to buy up the property and move back in, but kept all the original buildings and roads in place. It feels like you are going back in time to when the west was first being settled. It even has a functioning saloon that you have to barter with or trade with the owner to get drinks. @jay.blair__ became quick friends with the owner and we were able to go into the Gold Point post office and see the untouched layout of the building. Things that had remained since the town was first built, covered in dust and full of iconic stories of how life was back then. It will always be one of the most exciting and amazing places that I had the pleasure of taking two of my best friends out to discover. Missing @dylan_demarcus a lot today but looking back on memories like this keeps his story and energy alive in my heart and mind. I remember convincing Dylan to cut loose and have a drink of whiskey with us and we took an old tin can and used a nail to tap out our names and hammered them up on an old shack we found along the way. Someday I’ll make it back out that way and see if we can find the path we took and see if that tin can marker is still there. Miss you my dude.

San Xavier del Bac Mission, established in 1692 by Padre Eusebio. Known as “The White Dove of the Desert” and located near the Mexico and Tucson boarder in the Sonoran Desert. #sanxaviermission #sonorandesert

📍Arch Canyon Trail in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument 🌵 💠 Model: @jay.blair__ - This hike and adventure along the edge of Arizona and Mexico was one for the books. Jay and I ambitiously set out to find this arch several hours before sunset and luckily found it right in time to capture some stunning moments as the sun started to set and were able to make it back down before dark. I love how with landscape photography you are in a perpetual race to capture the best light and time of day and how there’s never any guarantees on what you are going to get at the end of the day. #organpipecactusnationalmonument #archcanyontrail #landscape #bw #nudephotography

Zabriski point in Death Valley 2023 🌅 Model: @casteroflans #deathvalley #zabriskiepoint #sunset #nikonphotography #landscape

Ounce upon a time in Hawaii 🐢🌊🏄🏼‍♂️ I spent two weeks backpacking with my friend Harmony. Sleeping in the jungle, hiking to green sand beaches, swimming in the ocean at sunset as lightning broke out in the distance and even trying to hike to a lava flow in the middle of the night only to get rained out. Gotta stay ambitious and keep that thirst for adventure alive. 😉 Also side note: the green sea turtle just got removed from the endangered species list 🥳

I could spend a lifetime chasing the clouds on hwy 395. The geological formations combined with a unique array of diverse biomes become a playground for the imagination and never cease to captivate me. The rich moody contrast of these landscapes in a black and white edit really draw me into the textures and clouds and yet the vibrant bright color edits tell a more pleasant story of the trip @joshballance8 and I took to the Alabama Hills this year. Which editing style do you prefer? #alabamahills #highway395 #california #landscapes #nikonphotography

So they say you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with, however, I think that’s only partially true. I think our success and growth as an individual is more about the patterns and routines we practice on a regular basis than the family, friends or co-workers we are surrounded by. Sometimes life puts you in a dysfunctional family, or you may have some best friends who have different approaches to life than you do, but those things don’t have to dictate your own success or progress as individuals necessarily. Sometimes those challenging personality types can make us grow or teach us different perspectives that we wouldn’t have otherwise taken into context. Of course it’s helpful to have great role models and successful and intelligent people around us, but I think ultimately it’s still up to us to create healthy patterns, set boundaries, manage our time and be in control of pursuing our education and goals with a relentless passion that will drive us into the life we dream of living. We have to find our own flow and follow that river regardless of the directions those around us are drifting. #landscape #nikonphotography #1424mmf28 #inspiration #flow

Explorations of form and movement in Utah at Arches National Park with @bassment_blackwidow and @jay.blair__ #archesnationalpark #form #movement #landscape #metalic #form #fabric

Just some AI ghosts exploring the surreal natural rock formations at Crowley Lake. These creations look man made but in fact they have been here for about 760,000 years and formed after the Long Valley Caldera erupted. These otherworldly columns span about 2-3miles in the south east part of the lake and some are over 20ft tall. During the peak of the summer the lake’s water levels rise and cover the base of the columns so it’s best to visit closer towards late summer or early fall. It’s a bit of a hike if you don’t have a 4x4 vehicle, but I’d have to say well worth the adventure! It’s one of those places where you feel as though you may have just walked into a Dali painting. #crowleylakecolumns #crowleylake #geology #aighosts #metalic #morph #explore #nikonphotography

Vernal Falls Yosemite. Feeling called to make another trip back out to the Eastern Sierras this summer and tap back in with some of the amazing views in Yosemite on the way. With it only being a 3hr drive from the Bay Area it’s one of the most accessible National Parks in the area. This hike to Vernal Falls along the Mist Trail is one of the more accessible trails and if you keep going you get to Nevada Falls, which you can hike right under the falls!

Salt point did not disappoint. The sandstone formations along the coastline form brain like patterns and fade from tan to black to white tones. Would love to plan a little camping trip back up to this area for another shoot this summer!

The coastline near Sea Ranch lodge. A truly stunning section of the Northern California coast just below Mendocino. I’ve always wanted to stay here and explore the area. I had just finished a drone shoot near by the previous day so I decided to go check it out as I made my way back down south along highway 1. I first learned about Sea Ranch when I visited an exhibit highlighting the modern architecture there in SF MOMA. They had an immersive exhibit where you got to experience what the interior of the buildings really looked like. The clean modern angles of the design combined with the natural materials really blend well into the landscape. It’s almost as if the architecture is one with the horizon. Large windows with views into the natural surroundings really bring the viewer a sense of balance, peace and connection to the environment. Would love to come back and spend a few days in this area and really take a moment to enjoy the surroundings.