Frequently Asked Questions

Booking and Location

  • LA Desert Studios is located in Juniper Hills, California, approximately 75 minutes from Los Angeles. Our convenient location makes it easy for photographers, filmmakers, brands, and creative teams to complete a full-day shoot without the long drive required for many other desert locations.

    Unlike destinations such as Joshua Tree, which often require 2.5 to 3 hours of driving each way from Los Angeles, LA Desert Studios offers the same cinematic high desert scenery, styled sets, vintage vehicles, and wide-open landscapes much closer to the city. That means more time creating and less time traveling, making it an ideal choice for day trips, commercial productions, fashion campaigns, music videos, and editorial photo shoots.

  • LA Desert Studios is approximately 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) from Los Angeles, depending on your starting location and traffic. Located in Juniper Hills, California, our high desert filming and photography location is close enough for an easy day trip while offering the dramatic desert landscapes, mountain views, Joshua trees, vintage vehicles, and curated sets that productions are looking for.

  • Rates at LA Desert Studios start at $115 per hour for our private high desert photo and filming location near Los Angeles. We also offer discounted rates for photographers, filmmakers, influencers, and content creators who are willing to feature or tag LA Desert Studios in their social media content.

    Whether you're planning a fashion shoot, brand campaign, music video, editorial, or commercial production, our five-acre property offers multiple curated sets, vintage vehicles, and cinematic desert landscapes, allowing you to capture a variety of looks in a single location.

  • Every rental at LA Desert Studios includes access to our private five-acre high desert property featuring multiple curated photo sets, vintage vehicles, rustic structures, open desert landscapes, mountain views, Joshua trees, and a growing collection of styled props. The property is designed to provide a variety of backdrops in one location, making it easy to capture multiple looks during a single shoot.

    All vintage vehicles are included for exterior photography and filming at no additional charge. If you would like to photograph or film inside a vehicle, please let us know when booking. Because our vehicles are stored outdoors in the desert, interior preparation requires additional cleaning and setup time. For bookings of 10 hours or more, interior vehicle preparation is included. For shorter bookings, interior access may be available for an additional preparation fee.

    Your rental also includes on-site parking and access to our available amenities. If you're looking for additional production support, we can also recommend photographers, art directors, stylists, models, hair and makeup artists, and other creative professionals to help bring your project to life.

  • Yes. LA Desert Studios has a 3-hour minimum booking for all photo shoots and film productions.

    For larger productions, we offer discounted day rates on bookings of 8 hours or more. Whether you're planning a quick content shoot or a full-day commercial production, our five-acre desert location provides a variety of curated sets, vintage vehicles, and scenic backdrops, allowing you to maximize your time on location.

  • Yes. We offer private location scouts by appointment so you can explore the property, view our shooting locations, and discuss your production needs with a dedicated site host. Location scouts are $125 for up to one hour and include a personalized tour to help you determine whether LA Desert Studios is the right fit for your project. If you book a full-day rental (8 hours or more) within 30 days of your scout, your $125 scout fee will be credited toward your booking.

  • Yes. LA Desert Studios offers on-site parking for productions and can accommodate up to 10 vehicles on our private five-acre property. The studio is accessed via approximately one mile of maintained dirt road, followed by a 500-foot private driveway. Most passenger vehicles, SUVs, cargo vans, sprinter vans, and production trucks up to approximately 20 feet in length can access the property when driven carefully. If your production requires larger trucks, trailers, or specialty vehicles, please contact us in advance so we can discuss access and recommend the best parking solution.

  • LA Desert Studios is best suited for productions with up to 20 cast and crew members, making it an ideal location for fashion campaigns, editorial shoots, music videos, commercials, and branded content. If your production has a larger crew, please contact us before booking. We may be able to accommodate larger productions depending on your project's needs, parking requirements, and production logistics.

Photography and Film

  • LA Desert Studios is ideal for fashion photo shoots, brand campaigns, editorial photography, content creator sessions, influencer collaborations, lookbooks, commercial productions, music videos, and creative group shoots. Our five-acre high desert location offers a variety of curated sets, vintage vehicles, rustic structures, and scenic desert landscapes, making it easy to capture multiple looks in a single day. Music videos are welcome; however, please note that noise restrictions apply, and amplified music must be kept at reasonable levels out of respect for our neighbors.

  • Yes. LA Desert Studios welcomes music video productions and is a popular location for artists, bands, and creative teams looking for a cinematic high desert backdrop. To respect our neighbors, amplified music must be kept at low to moderate volume and should not be played continuously throughout the day. Our location is best suited for smaller music video productions where playback is limited to approximately four hours or less during the shoot. If your production has unique audio requirements, please contact us before booking so we can determine whether the location is a good fit.

  • Yes. LA Desert Studios is available for commercial productions, including brand campaigns, advertising, fashion editorials, and video shoots. Our location is best suited for productions with up to 20 cast and crew members using production vehicles up to approximately 20 feet in length. The property currently provides a single on-site portable restroom. Productions requiring additional or luxury restroom facilities are welcome to bring a restroom trailer or portable restroom service with advance approval.

  • Yes. LA Desert Studios was designed with fashion photography in mind and is an ideal location for fashion editorials, lookbooks, advertising campaigns, designer collections, and lifestyle brands. Our five-acre high desert property features curated sets, vintage vehicles, rustic structures, Joshua trees, and cinematic desert landscapes, allowing creative teams to capture multiple editorial looks in a single location just 75 minutes from Los Angeles.

  • Yes! LA Desert Studios is available for brand campaigns, commercial photography, advertising, lifestyle marketing, social media content, and product launches. Our five-acre high desert location offers a diverse collection of curated sets, vintage vehicles, rustic structures, and scenic desert landscapes, giving brands the flexibility to create a wide range of looks without leaving the property. It's an ideal location for fashion, beauty, outdoor, automotive, wellness, and lifestyle brands seeking a unique desert backdrop near Los Angeles.

  • Yes. LA Desert Studios is an excellent location for content creators, influencers, photographers, and social media campaigns. With multiple curated sets, vintage vehicles, rustic structures, open desert landscapes, and mountain views, creators can capture a wide variety of high-quality photo and video content in a single visit. The property is ideal for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, brand collaborations, lifestyle content, and creative campaigns.

  • Drone use is limited and subject to prior approval. To preserve the quiet nature of Juniper Hills and respect our neighbors, we only permit occasional drone flights for approved productions. If authorized, drones must comply with all applicable FAA regulations, remain within the boundaries of LA Desert Studios, and avoid flying over neighboring properties. Please let us know your drone requirements when submitting your booking request.

  • Yes. We welcome student film productions on a case-by-case basis. While LA Desert Studios is a professional filming location, we may offer a modest student discount for qualifying educational projects. Please tell us about your production, school, crew size, and filming dates when submitting your inquiry, and we'll let you know if discounted pricing is available.

Sets & Props

  • Your rental includes access to our collection of curated indoor and outdoor shooting locations across our five-acre property. Featured sets include a Moroccan-inspired lounge, Western-themed interiors and props, a vintage trailer, rustic cabins and structures, classic cars and trucks (exterior access included), Joshua trees, open desert landscapes, mountain views, and a variety of styled vignettes. We continue to add new sets and props throughout the year, so each visit offers fresh creative possibilities.

  • Yes. All of our vintage cars, trucks, Jeep, motorcycles, and other vehicles are included for exterior photography and filming at no additional charge. If you would like to photograph or film inside a vehicle, please let us know before your shoot so we can prepare the interior. Interior vehicle access is included with full-day bookings and may be available for shorter shoots with an additional preparation fee.

  • Our vintage vehicles are carefully staged throughout the property and are not available to be moved. If your production has specific staging requirements, please contact us before booking to discuss your project and available options.

  • Our Western collection includes a vintage saloon interior, reclaimed wood walls, rustic furniture, antique trunks, barrels, wagon wheels, lanterns, weathered doors, old tools, vintage signage, and other authentic props. We continue to expand our collection to create a versatile backdrop for Western, Americana, country, and desert-inspired productions.

  • Yes. In addition to our outdoor desert sets, LA Desert Studios offers several indoor and covered shooting spaces, including our Western-themed interiors, rustic cabins, vintage trailer, and other styled structures. These spaces provide additional creative flexibility and are especially useful during hot, windy, or unpredictable weather.

  • Yes. Our colorful vintage travel trailer is one of the property's most popular photo locations and is included with your rental. With its fun, campy Palm Springs-inspired aesthetic, it's perfect for fashion editorials, lifestyle campaigns, music videos, brand content, and retro-inspired photo shoots.

  • Yes. LA Desert Studios features naturally growing Joshua trees, native high desert plants, sweeping mountain views, and an authentic California desert landscape. Depending on the season, the property transforms with soft pastel greens, vibrant yellow wildflowers in the spring, and warm beige desert tones that provide a beautiful backdrop for photography and film.

  • Beyond our collection of classic vehicles, LA Desert Studios offers a wide variety of unique backdrops, including a Moroccan-inspired lounge, Western-themed sets, a colorful vintage travel trailer, rustic cabins and weathered structures, Joshua trees, native desert plants, open dirt roads, rolling mountain views, rock formations, and expansive high desert landscapes. With multiple styled environments across our five-acre property, it's easy to capture a variety of looks without leaving the location.

Logistics

  • Portable restroom only. We currently provide one clean on-site portable restroom for cast and crew. Productions requiring additional or luxury restroom facilities are welcome to bring a restroom trailer with advance approval.

  • LA Desert Studios is an off-grid location and does not offer traditional on-site electrical service. The property is powered by solar batteries, and a small generator may be available for an additional fee. Productions with significant power requirements should plan to bring their own generator. If your project has specific electrical needs, please contact us before booking so we can determine whether the location is a good fit.

  • Yes. We can provide a solar-powered satellite Wi-Fi connection for productions that require internet access. Wi-Fi setup is included with full-day bookings and is typically activated during the first 30 minutes of your reservation. Please let us know in advance if you'll need internet access so we can have the system ready for your arrival.

  • Yes. Outside catering is welcome. There is plenty of space for craft services, catering tables, and crew breaks. We simply ask that all trash be bagged and placed in our on-site dumpster before the end of your production to help keep the property clean for future guests.

  • At this time, pets are not permitted on the property due to safety and liability considerations.

  • Yes. LA Desert Studios is a privately owned five-acre filming location, and your reservation includes exclusive use of the property during your scheduled booking.

  • Rain is relatively uncommon in our part of the California high desert, but weather can occasionally impact outdoor productions. If severe weather makes filming unsafe, we'll work with you to reschedule your booking whenever possible.

  • We do not currently offer overnight filming. However, multi-day bookings are available, with standard shooting hours between 6:00 AM and 8:00 PM each day. If your production requires multiple shoot days, we're happy to help coordinate your schedule.

Creative Services

  • Yes. For an additional production assistance fee, we can help connect you with trusted creative professionals and assist with planning fashion editorials, commercial campaigns, music videos, lifestyle shoots, and other productions.

  • Yes. Our founder is an experienced Creative Director, Art Director, photographer, and set designer. We offer freelance art direction as an optional add-on for productions that need creative support with concept development, mood boards, styling direction, shot lists, set planning, and overall visual direction. Art direction services are available as part of our Production Assistance Package or as a standalone creative service.

  • Yes. We work with a network of talented photographers specializing in fashion, commercial, editorial, portrait, automotive, and lifestyle photography. Photographer recommendations are available as part of our Production Assistance Package. Please inquire for pricing and availability.

  • Yes. We offer production design services, including set styling, prop sourcing, custom scene creation, and visual concept development. Production design services start at $200 for a half-day of styling, depending on the scope of your project.

  • Yes. Through our Production Assistance Package, we can recommend models, actors, influencers, and content creators from our trusted creative network based on the needs of your production.

  • Yes. Through our Production Assistance Package, we're happy to recommend experienced hair, makeup, wardrobe, and styling professionals we've worked with on previous productions.

  • Yes. We offer optional creative packages that combine our filming location with professional photography services. We can also help coordinate creative teams, stylists, models, hair and makeup artists, and other production professionals to simplify your shoot.

Planning a Desert Photo Shoot? Start Here.

  • If you're looking for a desert photo location near Los Angeles, LA Desert Studios offers one of the most diverse shooting environments within an easy day trip of the city. Located just 75 minutes from Los Angeles, our private five-acre property features curated photo sets, classic vehicles, Joshua trees, mountain views, rustic structures, and wide-open high desert landscapes, allowing photographers and brands to capture multiple looks in a single location.

  • LA Desert Studios is a private high desert filming location just 75 minutes from Los Angeles. The property offers cinematic desert landscapes, styled sets, classic vehicles, and rustic structures, making it an excellent choice for music videos, artist promotions, and performance-based shoots. Music video productions are welcome with advance approval and reasonable noise levels.

  • LA Desert Studios features a colorful vintage travel trailer that's included with every rental. With its fun, campy Palm Springs-inspired aesthetic, it's a popular backdrop for fashion editorials, lifestyle campaigns, brand content, music videos, and retro-inspired photography.

  • LA Desert Studios includes a curated collection of classic cars, vintage trucks, motorcycles, a vintage Jeep, and other unique vehicles available for exterior photography. Combined with our desert scenery and styled sets, the property makes it easy to create multiple editorial looks without changing locations.

  • Located approximately 75 minutes from Los Angeles, LA Desert Studios offers the beauty of California's high desert without the longer drive to more remote locations. It's an ideal destination for fashion shoots, commercial productions, music videos, branded content, and editorial photography that can be completed as a convenient day trip.

  • LA Desert Studios features Western-inspired interiors, rustic cabins, weathered wood structures, vintage props, open desert landscapes, and classic vehicles, providing an authentic backdrop for Western fashion campaigns, Americana editorials, country lifestyle brands, and cinematic productions.

  • LA Desert Studios offers a variety of professionally curated shooting environments across five private acres, including a Moroccan-inspired lounge, Western-themed sets, a colorful vintage travel trailer, rustic structures, classic vehicles, Joshua trees, mountain views, and expansive high desert landscapes. The variety of backdrops allows productions to capture multiple distinct looks in a single shoot without leaving the property.