Trona Pinnacles (sunset)

This image of the Trona Pinnacles was taken with a drone. Trona Pinnacles is about 3 hours North of Los Angeles, and 1.5 hours south of Death Valley National Park. You can easily reach the Trona Pinnacles by car — just be aware that from land you won't be able to achieve that same bird's eye view of the landscape. By car, insert the Trona Pinnacles GPS into your mobile device or vehicle (35.617733, -117.368080). You can park your car alongside the road and then hike around the pinnacles to get an east-facing view that's taken from a slightly-elevated perspective.

Trona Pinnacles is suitable for photography year round. However, I recommend visiting in the winter months when it's cooler, as it can get very hot in the summer.

Sunset and sunrise colors are the perfect times to photography Trona Pinnacles, as the sun low in the sky creates amazing shadows on the rock formations!

Drones are forbidden here. Unless you have a permit, please do not attempt to launch your drone, it is illegal and dangerous to protected bird species like the California Condor and Peregrine Falcon.

Explore the area and bring plenty of gear. Pinnacle National Park is a beautiful location — experiment with wide-angle and telephoto lenses to get different perspectives and detail.

Pay attention to the shadows and how they stretch across the ground. You can then photograph at angle where they are most prominent.

If you'd like to add a sense of scale into your shot, try adding a person in the image. The pinnacles are large, so having a human in the photo will enhance their size.

In addition to seeing the Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Filming Pinnacle, make sure to visit the nearby Fish Rocks. Years ago, an artist decided to paint fish teeth on large, rock formations and they've since become a landmark within the area.