Behind the photo: How the 2025 Pahrump Phone Book cover photo came about

It blows my mind that the Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), which appeared in the night sky this past October, makes its appearance only once in 80,000 years. When I first saw it in my backyard with just my naked eyes, I was mesmerized. Photography is my passion so I knew then I needed to photograph it.

I first tried with my iPhone that night and was amazed it turned out so good.

I began thinking about how I wanted to capture the comet with elements of Pahrump I love in the background and foreground - the lights of the town and the Joshua trees. So on the evening of October 14, I loaded up my wife and dog, two cameras and tripods and headed up Wheeler Pass Road, about 15 miles east of town. As the sun began to set, I hiked a few yards off the road, looking for the perfect spots.

The almost full moon was rising in the East, and lighting up the Joshua trees, casting shadows on the ground. I spent about 1 1/2 hours hiking around and taking photos, trying various settings on the camera.

Out of about 300 pictures, most of them junk, I came away with this photo, which for me encompassed the feeling of awe and wonder I felt viewing the comet. Did my Stone Age ancestors feel the same way as me when they viewed this same comet 80,000 years ago?

When I returned to the car that night after my photo excursion to my wife, who had remained in the car to stay warm, she showed me the photos she took with her iPhone. Her images were absolutely gorgeous, and she didn’t have to pack around 30 lbs. of equipment, and endure getting poked with the dagger-like spines on the Joshua trees. She’s obviously much smarter than me.

I was totally shocked and so very grateful when I was notified my photo was the winner of the phonebook cover contest. Could I have been the only entry? There are so many great photographers (professional and amateur) in Pahrump.

I’d like to encourage anyone, whether professional or amateur, to submit their photos for next year’s contest. There’s so much history and beauty in our community I see shared every day on social media from others just using smart phone cameras - pictures that are much better than mine at capturing the essence of our town, in my opinion.

About this photo: taken with a Sony A7RM3 with a 24 mm lens, f/10, 4-second exposure at ISO 3,200.