Randsburg preserves the flair of an old western town while catering to a growing crowd of tourists. The self proclaimed “Living Ghost Town” is not very ghostly but a superb spot for photographers wanting to discover the west.
Randsburg is an unexpected surprise that will spice up a long day of travel in the desert region. You can find food, ice cream, and shade and most importantly, you can take good photographs while giving your fellow troopers the rest they crave.
Randsburg is hot and dusty like every other western town in this region. The nearby mine and the old but maintained buildings give this city the authenticity that other overhyped places lack so desperately.
If you ever happen to travel on Highway 395 between Ridgecrest and Kramer Junction, you should take a short detour to visit this uniquely fascinating city.
How to get there
From the west (Bakersfield), take Highway 58 east and Highway 14 north in Mojave. Take Redrock Randsburg Road just south of Red Rock Canyon State Park and follow the road for about 21 miles into Randsburg.
From the east (Barstow), take Highway 58 to Kramer Junction. Turn right (north) onto Highway 395. Turn left onto Redrock Randsburg Road after 28.6 miles and follow it into the city.
GPS position
How to photograph Randsburg
Randsburg Barber
You can find superb subjects everywhere in Randsburg. Each area has its own appeal, including a large collection of antiques (basically trash) scattered around everywhere. The difficulty will not be to identify worthy subjects but rather making order from chaos and bringing some sense into the cluttered scenes.
If you start your tour on Butte Avenue, close to the main Highway (Redrock Randsburg Rd), you will have a good chance to ease yourself into the mood and feel your way forward from here. I consider this the main area of interest, where you will find the colorful buildings of this article, an old gas pump that looks like it belongs on a postcard from the 1950ies, and the ice cream and restaurant places.
Start by taking some distance shot of the old porches and typical western looking buildings. Line up some hot-shots and show them how fast you can draw your camera. Make them feel the power of your shutter and blast their hats off with your face detection. It is easy to get into the mood of Billy the Kid (or Patt Garrett if that suits you better).
Porch
Soaking up the atmosphere of any place will help you create better photographs. It is easy to step back in time for a while and come out of this frame of mind guns blazing – I mean cameras clicking.
After taking shots at (of) the colorful storefronts walk around and look for more interesting angles. I used my wide-angle lens to give more depth to the porch and use converging lines leading into the distance.
Sweep your viewfinder for distractions. Sometimes we can avoid them by changing our position only slightly. I kept a couple of dirt bikes out of the picture above by shifting my position about a foot. At a place like Randsburg, that sees many tourists and is cluttered all by itself, this becomes a very important skill. Take many pictures and shift your position between each shot to maximize your potential.
Old Truck
Getting low also can enhance the perspective. I took the photograph of the car crouching down and by using a wide-angle lens I enhanced its relative importance in the frame and diminished the background intrusion.
You will find numerous old cars, farming equipment, and fascinating storefronts scattered throughout the city. The mine in the hills may also warrant the effort to check it out, but I feel that the city itself offers better opportunities, especially if you do not want to spend too much time here.
Best Time of the Day and Best Season
Randsburg is not your typical sunset / sunrise spot. You will most likely visit this town on your way from somewhere to somewhere. The strong shadows during the day can work to your advantage though, making Randsburg a good location to fill the day.
Avoid the summer which is very hot here.
Avoid Memorial Day and Labor Day when ATV enthusiasts dust and stink up the city with their vehicles in search for a water hole.
Time required
One to two hours is sufficient at this location.
Equipment
- CP filter
- Wide-angle lens
- Zoom lens
- Water
- Polarizing sunglasses
Fees
There is no entrance fee.
Close Locations
- Trona Pinnacles
- Ballarat Ghost Town
- Red Rock Canyon State Park
- Silver City Ghost Town
- Fossil Falls
- Darwin
- Darwin Falls
- Harrisburg Ghost Town
- Skidoo Ghost Town
- Calico Ghost Town
- Kelso Dunes
Useful Resources
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2 Comments
Wow, nice western town. Great intense colors of the facade of the general store. It’s so cool that you inform us about these great places that the wonderful state of California has to offer! These pearls mostly don’t show up in travel guides. I’m planning to visit CA in one of the coming years and you already gave me so much info. I love these authentic towns!
Very picturesque, looks like a photographer’s dream.