1600-year-old Joshua Tree

This ancient Joshua tree, estimated to be around 1,600 years old, is one of the most remarkable single-subject nature subjects in the American Southwest, its gnarled, multi-armed form rising against the high-elevation landscape of Cedar Breaks National Monument. The tree's twisted silhouette works beautifully against a wide sky, so try shooting from a low angle with a wide lens to emphasize its dramatic shape and scale. Golden hour light, either early morning or late afternoon, rakes across the bark and highlights the texture in a way that flat midday light simply cannot match. The Milky Way rises cleanly over this area in summer, making it a strong candidate for astrophotography as well. The tree sits along the Ramparts Trail, which is accessible from the monument's rim; wear layers as the elevation sits above 10,000 feet and temperatures drop quickly. (Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah, United States)