Bail bonds (2003) Photograph by Gary Moger

Near Joshua Tree, California. 2003.

The storm just broke and the desert smells of rain.

A rainbow drops out of a bruised teal sky, cuts clean through a tangle of power lines, and lands — with perfect, absurd precision — directly behind a Joshua Bail Bonds sign. 24 Hr. Service. A small building glows warm yellow in the strange post-storm light, its empty forecourt catching the last of that extraordinary sky. The desert hills sit dark on the horizon. Everything is still.

Gary had been staying at the Harmony Motel — the same rooms where U2 wrote and recorded The Joshua Tree — climbing and photographing the high desert for days. This was on the road. Storm approaching, then breaking, then this.

You couldn't stage it. You couldn't plan it. You could only be driving the right road at the right moment with a Leica on the seat beside you.

Shot on a Leica M6 with Kodak Portra NC film, drum scanned and printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag. Full frame, never cropped, exactly as it was.

A Note on Process
Every print I sell is made in my own studio and checked for every detail and quality before I pack it for shipping. I use plastic free packaging.
The paper I use is the finest quality and after years of experimenting, I find it gives the best tonal range and finish.
Hahnemühle has been making art papers for hundreds of years.

Materials used:

Leica M6, Kodak portrait VC film, Hahnemuhle Photorag Archival paper

Details:

• Photograph on Paper
• From a limited edition of 50
• Size: 53.34 x 38.1 x 0.25cm (unframed) / 50.8 x 34.8cm (actual image size)
• Signed and numbered certificate of authenticity
• Style: Photorealistic
• Subject: Landscapes, sea and sky
• Hurry, only 1 left in stock