Bail bonds (2003) Photograph by Gary Moger

Bail Bonds

Near Joshua Tree, California. 2003.

The storm had just broken, and the desert smelled of rain.

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

I'd 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.

The print

Every print is made in my own studio and carefully checked before packing. I use plastic-free packaging and Hahnemühle Photo Rag archival paper for its tonal range and finish.

Limited edition, signed and numbered, with a certificate of authenticity.

Materials used:

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

Details:

• Photograph on Paper
• From a limited edition of 50
• Size: 21 x 15 x 0.1" (unframed) / 20 x 13.7" (actual image size)
• Signed and numbered certificate of authenticity
• Style: Photorealistic
• Subject: Landscapes, sea and sky
• Hurry, only 1 left in stock