Spring 2019 Road Trip – Bisti – Day 5 Sunset – A Monochrome Day in Bisti

The evening of the fifth day in Bisti, my son and I decided to shoot sunset photos in an area, which we think is on BLM land.  At least we know it is outside the Bisti Wilderness proper area.  It is an area  that we accessed via a short spur road off of the road to the unofficial parking area for Bisti North parking.

It was a cloudy day without great sunset light, so I converted the shots presented in this post to monochrome.

Sunset Day 5 March2019
A cloud covered scene near Bisti North. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 60mm, f/11, 1/6s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

The photo above is my favorite from this shoot.  There are dramatic clouds and hints of rain falling from the clouds, interesting rocks in the foreground and middle ground.

Sunset Day 5 March2019
A cloudy sky at sunset and Bisti rock forms. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 50mm, f/11, 1/5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

We had spotted this little natural bridge or window on an earlier scout of this area.

Sunset Day 5 March2019
Cloudy sky near sunset and Bisti Rock Forms. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 28mm, f/11, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

And another little window shot that I like better than the previous one, possibly because of the more dramatic clouds and the more interesting foreground.

Sunset Day 5 March2019
Cloudy Sky over Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 34mm, f/11, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

The shot above is what I consider a minimalistic shot.  The objects in the photo are limited, but there are dramatic clouds, interesting geologic features and multiple leading lines in the barren foreground,  which hints at the vast openness of this area.

Sunset Day 5 March2019
Cloudy Sunset Sky and Bisti Rock Forms. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 28mm, f/11, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

The shot above is another minimalistic shot of the same basic features as in the previous shot, but with a different point of view.  In this case I have emphasized the broad area around the narrow drainage patterns that are acting as leading lines into the photo with the clouds adding drama to the scene.

Sunset Day 5 March2019
Cloudy sky over rock forms in the BLM area to the southwest of the unofficial North Bisti parking area. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 40mm, f/11, 0.4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

I like the multiple tiers in the rock formations in this photo with the dramatic cloud backdrop.

Sunset Day 5 March2019
Bearded Lizard like feature in the BLM area to the southwest of the unofficial North Bisti parking area. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 70mm, f/11, 0.6s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

This rock feature looks like a bearded lizard to me, hence the title of the photo.  I’ve added a lens vignette, shifting it to the left to focus on the “head” of the lizard or whatever imaginary creature one might think this looks like.

Sunset Day 5 March2019
Black and white turtle or other creature like hoodoo in the BLM area to the southwest of the unofficial North Bisti parking area. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 35mm, f/11, 0.8s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

This hoodoo reminds me of a large turtle, but one might imagine it as some other exotic or alien creature.

Sunset Day 5 March2019
Cloudy sunset over the BLM area to the southwest of the unofficial North Bisti parking area. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 26mm, f/11, 0.8s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

This photo does not have the greatest depth of field, but I still like it.  I used the flat rock wings or hoodoos running diagonally from bottom left towards the upper right to lead the viewers eye into the photo towards the feature on the horizon in the upper right.  I wish I could find these dramatic clouds on nice sunny sunset or sunrise shoots, while still allowing for great light on the photo subjects.

This wraps up the highlights of day 5 sunset shooting in the great vastness of one of New Mexico’s wonderful desert areas.

Until next time,

Ken

2 thoughts on “Spring 2019 Road Trip – Bisti – Day 5 Sunset – A Monochrome Day in Bisti”

  1. So, is the isolation getting to you… seeing a lizard, and a turtle in the rocks? Excellent photos in black and white!

    1. This place is not your lush garden with so much vegetation and flowers, in which the birds and lizards can cavort. Even though there are a few live creatures here, mostly one has to use one’s imagination to see animals in the rocks! Thanks, for the compliment, Shutterpug.

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