Burning Man began in 1986 when a handful of friends built and burned a wooden human figure on San Francisco’s Baker Beach. Since then, the annual event has moved to Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, and grown steadily into a weeklong festival of radical self-expression, self-reliance and community. In its 25th year, Burning Man tickets (50,000 of them) sold out for the first time. For 2014, about 68,000 “burners” are converging to create, from August 25-September 1, Pershing County’s most populous and bustling town, with the art theme of "Caravansary."

Drawn to Burning Man’s art, music and concept, photographer Geno Valle of San Francisco has gone five times, most recently in the festival's 25th year. The owner of the Hair of the Gods salon provided photos he has shot over the years of the beauty of the temporary city in the desert.