10.21.2019 | Joshua Tree National Park, California
Travel Photography | Engagement Photography | Portraits Photography
Two countries, three cities, one weekend. This is how Em & Me Photo started back in 2019.
We did a pretty intense road trip a couple of years ago that surprisingly ended up being one of the craziest and most incredible weekends we've ever had so far! It was full of adventure, emotions, and intensity. Boy, it was overwhelmingly fun!
It all started because we were living in Los Angeles and had to go pick up our car to Tijuana. So Friday morning, we got up at 3:30 in the morning to catch the bus that was taking us to Union Station in DTLA. From there, we took the Flixbus station and grabbed the bus that was taking us to San Ysidro, the border with Mexico.
We got to San Ysidro and stopped at the first spot we found, a Jack in the Box right in the border to grab some breakfast.
After that, we crossed the border to TJ, took an Uber and picked up our car in a parking lot close to the Airport and drove directly to the border because we had to get to Joshua Tree for our first photo shoot next Saturday.
We arrived at Joshua Tree late at night because it was a long way from TJ and we didn't find a place to stay so, we parked at the Walmart's, bought a couple of pillows and blankets, and slept in the car. We were pretty tired and slept for like 5 hours because we had to get up pretty early the next day for the photo session.
Saturday morning, we got up at 5:30 am and met up with our clients at their Airbnb around 6:00 am because we were gonna start shooting at sunrise. We talked a little and planned how the day was going to be. They were a group of friends having their anual boy's trip who came from all around the country. They wanted to go to the shooting range and wander around the park.
We drove to Joshua Tree National Park and stopped in a couple of places along the road to take some cool photos. The first ones we took were during golden hour, the light and the colors in the sky were pretty amazing.
After that, we made our way to Berdoo Canyon, drove for almost two hours and got stuck at some point on the road because it was super rocky and the cars weren't passing anymore. It was the most intense drive and so we had to go all the way back.
We took another route and finally made it to the shooting range. The guys were teaching us about guns and rifles, Lalo was taking photos and I was recording some videos. We also got to shoot the rifle for the very first time in our lives. Oh. My. Gosh. It was such a rush!
After that, we drove back to Joshua Tree for the sunset and went to grab a bite. We were about to leave when we got booked for an engagement session the next day! So we got a room in the Motel 6 because it was the only place available.
The guys invited us to their Airbnb to hang out, play video games and have some drinks and pizza. We had the best time with them, it was so much fun!
So the next day, we got up early, had some lunch and went to the park to do some scouting.
After that, we met up with the couple and started our session in Coyote Hole. They've just gotten engaged the day before, so we recreated a picnic and took some photos of the proposal during sunset.
Believe it or not, this photo shoot was actually harder than the one we had the day before. We climbed through the giant rocks with all of the equipment and props, and they were all dressed up, which was even more intense! I mean, climbing rocks with Kevin all suited up and Ashley in high heels was really something.
We took lots of pictures, had the greatest time, talked, shared lots of experiences and ended up the session sitting on a rock while watching the sunset. It was really amazing, the perfect ending to our crazy weekend!
We were beyond happy and satisfied with the days we'd just had and the people we met.
Special thanks to Michael, Fly, John, Ted, Hans, Ashley and Kevin for letting us capture your adventures, being so incredibly nice to us and making us part of your special moments.
If you have any questions or inquiries about our Airbnb Experiences or visiting Joshua Tree, make sure to comment down below.
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