Angelina Bordeaux in Joshua Tree (Patreon)

This was one shoot long coming.

I first came across Angelina's beautiful freckled face sometime in 2017 and badly wanted to shoot with her. 

She is an ex. Runway model, who happened to be good friends with another of my favorite US art models, Venusdesierra - they have worked together in the fashion circuit multiple times. And both individually realized that it is a dehumanizing crappy business whose only saving grace is it pays well if you are part of the popular crowd.

In 2018 we had scheduled a shoot in Las Vegas, but life got in the way, and we had to postpone. And then finally, I was in LA in 2019 and arranged to pick her up in Venice and drive her to Joshua tree and shoot some art nudes out there.

I made one crucial mistake: I underestimated traffic on a Friday going towards Palm Springs & Joshua Tree. I picked her up near Venice around noon and ended up bumper to bumper for 5-6 hours.

I planned to check into the Airbnb I had booked and then drive up and find locations, so we had a good two hours to shoot. 

Instead, we drove directly into the park with only about 1h to sunset. On the way up, a couple of guys flags us down as they had locked themselves out of their car (keys were in the trunk), and they had exhausted their cellphones. 

We had to stop, quickly charge their phone and help them call auto assistance.

With only 20 min to sunset, we drove on, parked at the first space that we came to, and hiked off the beaten track after just 10-15min shooting sun went down, so I switched to my 50mm f 0.95 and kept on it for another 15min. That account for the first four images. Then, out with the flashlight, hike back to the car, drive back, hit a restaurant for some much-needed late dinner, and then find the Airbnb.

The next morning we were up before dawn and headed back into the park, driving down the Geography Trail and shot the remainder of the images there along the way.

Then I drove Angelina into Palm Springs to catch a greyhound back to LA as I stayed from some days and had another model meet me in Joshua Tree in the afternoon.

Oh, let me leave you with this short BTS movie. 

Enjoy