Photographer Timm Andrews: Route 66 and the Mojave Desert

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My friend and co-worker Timm Andrews took some amazing photographs of the Mojave Desert and Route 66.

Timm Andrews is a Photographer and Photojournalist whose work has taken him around the globe. He has work as a Stuntman, Stunt Coordinator and Actor in films and television. His photojournalist work has been featured on Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, CNN, Good Morning America, The Today Show and other network news channels.  Timm has done work for National Geographic and has some fascinating stories about his work on the show COPS.

Timm has been the recipient of several awards, which include an EMMY, numerous AP awards (Videographer of the Year for 2007 and 2008) and the Edward R. Murrow award for footage on the front lines of a California wild fire.

I love working with Timm, he keeps me laughing with his wry sense of humor. I asked him about the pictures he shot in the Mojave Dessert, here is what he had to say:

 “I shot these images when I was out wandering around one day. I always wanted to drive Route 66 from Chicago to LA, and never had a chance to, but the Mother Road from Barstow, CA to the Arizona border was right there in front of me, so I always made that section a part of my desert adventures. The biggest challenge was the time of day.  It takes a little patience, but you can get great shots even with the sun high in the sky. You can wait for some cloud cover . . . many days there are some great cloud formations. I suggest using filters, I mainly use a polarizer and a red filter. You can get some great dramatic shots with back or side lighting.  Here are a few of my recommendations for shooting in the desert:

Shoot at dawn and dusk; golden hour in the desert is amazing.  Take along plenty of water, make sure the gas tank is full, a map. (GPS doesn’t always work) Wear and the proper clothing (Even in summer it can be very chilly in the morning, hot as blazes in the afternoon and cool in the evening) And don’t forget the sunscreen! Just go and have fun, but most of all enjoy the beauty of the desert, it is not a barren place it is full of life and adventure.”