Lancaster Photography Association will be going on a field trip to the Palm Desert area from Thursday, February 19, 2026 to Saturday, February 21, 2026. Please comment at the end of the article to sign up for the field trip.

Kathy Newman will be leading us for the three days. The planned activities will include:

• Thursday 3:00 p.m. - Hotel check-in; 3:30 - Meet at designated location to drive to Borrego Springs to see various Ricardo Breceda sculptures before sunset. Night photography and light painting at 2-3 sculptures.
• Friday - Morning - Meet to caravan to Salvation Mountain, Slab City, Sonny Bono Wildlife Preserve, Later Afternoon-evening - Bombay Beach sunset and night photography.
• Saturday - Morning - Living Desert Zoo - Head home.

There will be a variety of photography opportunities, including wildlife, night photography, lightpainting, zoo, and landmarks. You will need a wide-angle lens for night photography, long lens for the Sonny Bono WIldlife Preserve, and a medium zoom lens for the zoo and other activities. Also a remote trigger or intervalometer and a tripod for night photography.

Bring a chair for sitting, a hat, sunscreen, extra water and snacks.

We are looking at hotels in Indio due to room prices - Options are: Days Inn by Wyndham Indio - $146/night, Motel 5 Indio $117/night, Rodeway Inn near Coachella - $108/night, Budget Inn Motel Indio $64/night. These hotels are all fairly close to each other in Indio.

If you have any questions, call Kathy at 661.317.1884 or email her at kc_newman2001@yahoo.com

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On February 24, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.,  Lancaster Photography Association will hold a Magic of Waterdrops workshop at the Antelope Valley Senior Center. We will explore the fascinating art of water drop photography in a hands-on creative workshop designed to reveal stunning reflections, tiny details, and abstract beauty. Kathy Newman will share some information regarding lighting, set-up, and camera settings, and then you will have time to check out each station set up around the room.

During this session, you will discover techniques for capturing:

• Water drops suspended on dandelion puffs for dreamy delicate images.
• Flowers reflected inside individual droplets for dramatic minature scenes.
• Water drops on glass with colorful backgrounds to create vibrant abstract designs.
• Oil drops on water reflecting colorful designs underneath.

What to Bring:

• Camera with manual controls
• Macro lens or close-focusing lens
• Tripod for sharp results
• Off-camera light - speedlight or constant light

Come experiment, learn new techniques, and have fun discovering how small details can produce big visual impact!

We will also be doing our normal PHOTOSHARING. So don't forget to send Kathy Newman up to 10 photos by Monday, 02/23/2026. kc_newman2001@yahoo.com

Zoom link for Photosharing and Kathy's presentation: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82700272779?pwd=rZI3oI6sufuzyNICWpmuwRltorfbdE.1