Sunday, March 2, 2014

Desert Rain

There's nothing quite like rain in the desert! We had some nice soaking rains in S. CA this weekend, including the desert. I had a chance to hike into Indian Cove (north end of Joshua Tree National Park). Here's what the drive in looks like. The clouds were still heavy with moisture.
I could hear water flowing as I hiked up the canyon on the east side of Indian Cove. There is a waterfall in a slot canyon that flows after a rain, and it was going like crazy this weekend! Unfortunately, it's very hard to photograph because it is recessed into the rocks and you can't get up close (unless you are willing to swim!).
Hiking around the area of the waterfall is great, with lots of water in the stream. It's very scenic, with the granite stone worn smooth by water and steep rock formations on either side.
It's interesting how water shows up in unlikely spots after a desert rain, such as forming little pools in the granite rocks. Here's a shot taken up above the waterfall (a tough hike... my legs still ache!). I like it because of the great rock formations. You can see the road leading in to the canyon if you look carefully in the background.
After the sun set and things were getting dark, I got some good shots of water flowing. The trick is to get the longest exposure possible so you can get that foggy water effect. For these shots, I set the ISO at 50 and the aperture at 32, which allowed for a 10 second exposure (don't forget your tripod!).

Hope you had a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

18 comments:

  1. Glad you got some rain at last, we just had more this morning

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  2. Great shots. Water must be something you don't see often here I guess.

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  3. Glad you received some rain. These photos are gorgeous. Could almost step right into them.

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  4. Cool shots! I drove out to the Indian Canyons in Palm Springs and there was a lot of water flowing there, too. Even drove up to the Whitewater Preserve. The road was closed Saturday, but a bulldozer came through Sunday morning and it was open! Beautiful up there!
    Cheryl Ann

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  5. I'd love to explore around those granite rocks. Wonderful images that make me long for the desert.

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  6. Fabulous photos. I remember the rain in the desert - what a treat!!! Just one time we had rain in February and the desert bloomed in April - I will never forget it - simply stunning.

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  7. Pretty shots, especially the last two! You must've used a very slow shutter. Wow.

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  9. Some great photos of the desert. The silky water effect works brilliantly in contrast to the gritty appearance of the rocks. Plenty of rain here this winter!

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  10. Ah, the smell of rain in the desert, it must have been a wonderful hike! Nice contrast of wet and dry granite!

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  11. Fabulous pics and probably a fabulous hike, too. I wasn't able to get out much over the weekend as I live on the wrong side of the flooded creek. All good, though, I did hike between downpours and got a few great shots. Of your shots, however, I particularly love the forth one with the road in the far background. Great d.o.f and clarity - plus the subject matter is interesting.

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  12. Beautiful pictures; glad you got some needed rain. Yes, you want to be careful about being in a slot canyon during a rainstorm.

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  13. Great pics. Intriguing about the hidden waterrunning. I love your waterfall. I have found that a tripod solves all sorts of problems. I'm going to have to experiment with the low iso.

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  14. Having the water flowing really shows how some of those rock formations were created!!!
    Those hummingbirds are TINY!!!

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  15. Nice shots. A neutral density filter is a good way to get those long exposures in the daylight.

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  16. I was out in this same weather. I was at the Grand Canyon and the water was falling as snow! What a great day - although nobody else on the bus really wanted to stop and look at the snow!!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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