Last weekend I drove out to El Mirage Dry Lake in our high deserts here to scout a background for a possible photo shoot.

Digitally, I used my D70 with only two pieces of glass, the kit lens and my 10.5mm fish. I did take along a couple of other AF lenes but hestitated in switching more than I did on account of all the flying dust.

Film-wise I used the few remaining frames of the Scala roll I had in my old Nikon FE. With this camera I used two manual focusing lenses, a 105 and my 28mm wide-angle. Of the 7 frames from this session, only one scanned well (the last pic in the set below).

Here is what I came up with.




(each pic is clickable)

Personally, I'd rather have shot a different color MINI. Perhaps a Liquid Yellow, Chili Red, Pepper White, or even a Pure Silver?

I'm definitely going back.

 

Yeah, another color'd Mini would probably look better. Nice shots though, and nice location. I like the "1TreeMini" one, pretty cool with the tree, and the different colors near the horizon line, and the mountains in the background.

 

It doesn't matter if you keep them b/w

But still, the sky and the ground contrast so well. Lovely, lovely shots.

 

Great location.

I much prefer the shots with limited background visible, though. The details in the cracked dry lake bed are neat, especially to those of us who don't get to see that kind of stuff. I think if you were going to try to get "the big picture" with lots of background visible, you'd want to pull way back from the MINI and really capture how much "nothing" there is out there. The middle distance shots with recognizable scrub brushes in the background just don't do much for me.

I know of Elmer's Garage from a past hobby of mine - kite buggying. Little three wheeled carts + great big kite = 30mph+ with your butt inches from the ground. I never made the pilgramage to the dry lakes, though.

 

Gorgous Juan.

I could see shooting that with different colored MINIs, but your IB/B still works for me just the way it is.

 

Loved 'em all Juan. Especially the wide angled "playafish".

 

Nice shots!

Seeing these pics have really made me consider buying the fisheye, I just wish florida had a little more to offer in the way of scenery like that!

 

Juan, Wow you've come a long way since the 03 Toys 4 tots pics.
Were these pics taken up near the Antelope Valley? (Lancaster/Palmdale/Mohave)

 

Great Shots!

 

I bet a pink MINI would look smashing in those photos!

great shots (as always) and great location I seriously need to get out of the house more.

 

Oooh yeah! Sounds inviting!

 

Looked at em again, and I really like "Parched" as well. I like the contrasting lighting on the car in that one. Can see the clouds reflecting off the passenger-side door too.

 

I like those a lot. Playing around with different color cars would have been fun but I think that one worked just fine.

Mark

 

How about bringing along a ladder, or some other height-boosting object and getting a shot from a nice overhead angle? The ground looks fantastic and that way you could get more of it.

I know I can fit my collapsable ladder in the MINI if the passenger seat is collapsed forward...

 

I agree that a looking-downward shot would be nice at this location but it'd require a permit.
Taking a ladder would make it obvious it's a photo-shoot and that's what requires a permit from the BLM.

 

Awesome photos

Great location + perfect weather

Can i ask what cam, lense you have for shooting as im looking (still ) at a DSLR for the new year.

Great shots again

Michael

 

Thank you for the kind words.

Camera: Nikon D70
Lenses: (17-70mm) Kit lens; 50mm f/1.8, my favorite; 70-300mm; 10.5mm DX fisheye

Yes, the location is great. It's been used in films and commercials.
The permit requirement is enforced more if you start setting up equipment that's visible from a distance (i.e. lightstands, Chimera lighting, etc.) or if you have three or more cars all "posed," making it obvious it's a photo shoot.
I was approached by a BLM volunteer and allowed to continue since it was just myself and my MINI.

Thanks again for noticing my photos.

-Juan

 

Did they give you any information on how to go about gettinga permit there and what the cost associated with it would be?

 

Dave,
The volunteer gave me a brochure with all that info but it's at home somewhere. I think I remember it being free for photo-shoots. Oooh, your new Cooper would look great out there! Be prepared for LOTS of dust flying everywhere!

Here is the info from their website.
Pack it in! Pack it out!
It is illegal to leave litter on public land. (43 CFR 4140.1 (b(6))

TELEPHONE NUMBERS - EMERGENCY DIAL 911
BLM Emergency Assistance (Dispatch) (888) 233-6518
BLM Barstow Field Office/Event Permit Information (760) 252-6000
Filming/Photography Permit Information (951) 890-1090
El Mirage OHV Area Recorded Information (760) 388-4411

I hope that helps.

-Juan

 

I thought it was cool how the sky matched the color of your MINI. Very cool!

 

The phone number for permitting at El Mirage has actually changed. It's now 951 779-6700.

Here's what I found out:

• They classify all still photography that basically isn't "snaps of your friends" as commercial in nature and that needs a permit.
• The permit forms are available at FilmInlandEmpire.com
• PDF form for El Mirage Photo Permits
• Commercial Still Photography Permits for 1-10 people runs $100 a day, processing fee is at least $97, monitoring fee is at least $97. So nearly $300 before we even get started with the insurance.
• Then they require you to carry liability insurance for $1 million for the shoot that specifically names the BLM as being additionally insured.

And there was no trying to convince the permitting folks that what I wanted to do was closer to snaps of my friends than a Hollywood film involving stunts and a helicopter, so yes, all of the above would in theory be necessary.

Juan: I'd say you got some photos there that won't easily be had again (at least not without some dollars greasing the skids at the Inland Empire permit office ).

 

Now I remember the guy telling me what a hassle it was, that "don't ask, don't tell" might be easier.
It's kind of like when you go to some parking structure for pics. Get in as many shots as you can before being asked to leave. The difference here is that El Mirage is public land.

I guess I was lucky to get the shots I did.

 

Yeah, I'm sure we've both lost count of the number of times and places we've been asked to leave a location while trying to capture a good MINI photo.