desert defender
An overland adventure photo essay
Event season is ramping up. I was making preparations to fly down to LA for a couple of meetings and then a trip out to the desert for Desert and Denim when I received a series of text messages from Brian at Defenders Northwest. “You’re in LA this week right? Would you be interested in swapping out your rental car for a Defender 110? I’m selling it for the owner and need better photography.” Hmmmm, a lame rental vs a stylish icon powered by a diesel-sipping TDCI that can keep up with LA traffic. No brainer. “I’m in!”
A quick Lyft from LAX deposited me in Manhattan Beach to pick up the Defender 110 and grab a bite near the water. God it’s great to be back in the sunshine!
A quick visit to Castaway, a night with dear friends, a photo-op below the Hollywood sign and then I was off to the desert.
…via the slow route through Big Bear. Highways are boring. Adventure is found when you slow down.
Pioneertown, Ca is an interesting, sparsely populated town near Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree. It was originally constructed as a live-in movie set in the 1940s.
This weekend, it was also the home of Desert and Denim. The brainchild of Hall Newbegin of Juniper Ridge, Desert and Denim bills itself as a renegade anti-tradeshow gathering of like minded brands. It and other experiential projects are growing in popularity around the world. Our agency sees a great deal of value in events where you can get hands-on with a product and make a personal connection with the people behind the brand. In a digital age, the human connection becomes increasingly valuable.
A quick morning light shoot in Pioneertown…
And on to Joshua Tree…
Arch Rock
As I was taking the panorama above, a figure appeared on a rock across from me.
He shouted out “Hey, I captured a good picture of you. [The picture he took of me is below] What’s your email?” Later that I night as I was doing work in one of the only spots in Joshua Tree with a [relatively] consistent signal, I checked my email and realized that I’d had a brief brush with the very talented Mark Pugh. If only I hadn’t been in such a rush to finish shooting before night fell, I might have had the chance to engage further. Damn the luck.
Split Rock Trail
Motoring into JT back country
Jumbo Rocks CG for the night.
I tried to run up to Keys View for some sunrise shots, but was foiled by an incoming rainstorm. So instead, I used the early start to the day as an excuse to try an off-road route on part of the return trip to LA.
Intersection Rock
The Route Back
While at the Desert and Denim event, I ran into a ranger who suggested we check out the off-road route between Pioneertown and Big Bear Lake. Since I was driving a very expensive loaner and had to catch a flight out of LAX later that evening, I wasn’t interested in getting into anything too rowdy, but I figured we’d go check it out and be prepared to turn back. We found a really cool network of rated trails that started among a forest of Joshua Trees and then wound up the mountain into the pines.
One last photo at Big Bear Lake before a mad rush down the mountain and into the chaos of Los Angeles. This vehicle was equally at home at 70+ in LA traffic as it was puttering up the mountain in the dirt. I want one!
All in all this project was a success. This was our first year at Desert and Denim. Thanks to Tobias Hayduk and Hall Newbegin for putting together such a great experience. Our clients were well received and very happy with the show, and we plan to add this event to our yearly calendar. The assignment to shoot the Defender 110 out in the desert was a great bonus. Thanks to Defenders Northwest for setting that up. For those interested, the Defenders NW ad for the Defender 110 featured in this essay (yes, it’s for sale!) is here. Thanks also to Overland Coffee, Tincup Whiskey, Union Wine, Humboldt Legends and Endorfin Chocolates for the fuel. …and the laughter!
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Mangai Rollin is an experiential agency focused on the action sport and outdoor, automotive and vice industries. We work hard at play.
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- Copyright Mangai Rollin 2017
- Unless noted otherwise, all imagery by Matthew Mangus
