Reader Photo: Finding the Milky Way in Joshua Tree

To get the perfect picture of the Milky Way galaxy, you first have to escape the bright city lights of Los Angeles. Then you have to find the right spot to shoot.

Tim Ngo and friends drove out to Joshua Tree National Park, 2 ½ hours from L.A.’s bright city lights, to find the darkest sky possible. They had their minds set on shooting at Arch Rock, but they lost their way in the dark.

With the Milky Way already rising above the horizon, they stumbled on another formation of towering boulders. Ngo set up his tripod and used a headlamp to light up the rocks in front of him, creating a silhouette of himself.

“I took this picture of myself experiencing the simple pleasure of witnessing the Milky Way,” Ngo said. “These types of photos remind me how beautiful nature can be and motivate me to venture out to the amazing natural wonders of the world.”

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Each week, we’re featuring photos of Southern California and California submitted by readers. Share your photos on our Flickr page or tag your photos with #socalmoments or #californiamoments on Instagram and Twitter. Follow us on Twitter or visit latimes.com/socalmoments for more on this photo series.