11/04/2021
I made it back to Borrego Springs last night for the first time since May to photograph the great metal sculptures by Ricardo Breceda. My sons and I made it to one dinosaur, the jeep and back to the serpent. Because the Milky Way was in the southwest sky, it was possible to capture the serpent's head from the front and still include the Milky Way. Previously, I have always photographed it from the back, which is not ideal. We put a red headlamp light in the serpent's mouth for a fire-breathing effect. One of the most interesting things that happened was that we only ran into one other photographer and he was using a Google Pixel 6 phone and got impressive results. Tomorrow - Friday, Nov. 5 is the new moon, so it's the last good chance to photograph the Milky Way core this year in the northern hemisphere. Maybe we'll go back and correct a few mistakes.
We also noticed that access to some sculptures by motor vehicle has been blocked to help preserve the landscape. Many of the sculptures are close to the road anyway, but others are a little too far if you have any mobility issues. It is still possible to drive up to the serpent and the scorpion and grasshopper, usually the two most popular locations in my experience.
