Comet Hale-Bopp

Joshua Tree National Forest

My brother Alfredo & I went to Joshua Tree National Park to shoot the comet Hale-Bopp when it made it's pass toward Earth. For this shot, the foreground is illuminated with a large Mag-Lite, the lens of the flashlight was covered by my fingers so the light had to seep through them. I didn’t want to blow-out the foreground with light, just let you know that something was there. Hale-Bopp is in the center of the image. The terrain of Joshua Tree National Park adds to the mystery of the event

— victor m maldonado