Saturday night, I was completely alone in the parking area and I did not encounter anyone else during my Sunday morning sunrise shoot. I had expected more visitors, since it was a weekend. I’m guessing there were visitors and campers in the official south parking area.
I went to the area east of the big, prominent hoodoo that is immediately visible in the distance as one begins the hike into the northern portion of Bisti from the north parking area for sunrise photography the second morning of my May visit to Bisti. This large hoodoo on a hilltop is visible from a long distance and is useful as a navigation aid.
Pre-sunrise at one of the north Bisti predominate hoodoo landmarks. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 55mm, f/16, 6.0s, ISO 64.
There was good light this morning, as I shot with my 24-70mm lens.
North Bisti Wilderness Sunrise Silhouette. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 32mm, f/16, 0.5s, ISO 64.One of the predominate north Bisti landmarks at sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 30mm, f/16, 0.5s, ISO 64.
A shot a sequence of these features as the sun rose, progressively illuminating the hillside.
One of the predominate north Bisti Hoodoos and hillside at sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 28mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64.A predominate north Bisti Hoodoo and hillside at sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 28mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64.
Note that the bottom photo is from a slightly different angle, as I had moved around shooting other features as the sun rose higher in the sky, and I did not get back to exactly the same composition.
A view towards the west between two tall features. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 27mm, f/16, 1/3s, ISO 64.A north Bisti bluff at sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 70mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64.North Bisti rock features and sky at sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 24mm, f/16, 1/25s, ISO 64.
The laminar clouds added considerable interest to the sky as the sun rose.
North Bisti features and sunrise sky. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 32mm, f/16, 1/15s, ISO 64.A north Bisti bluff with pedestal and sky at sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 60mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64.A north Bisti Pedestal and Bluff at Sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 60mm, f/16, 1/25s, ISO 64.
After the best early morning light, I explored around this area looking for interesting features to shoot in the early morning light before it got too harsh. A few photos from that time will be included in a subsequent post.
As I was leaving the north Bisti parking area, taking the short route just over and along the north fence line, and passing a young couple with two very young kids, the young man approached me, saying that I looked like I might know the area and asking if they could follow me. Of course, I agreed, being happy to help anyone in that situation. I had to walk much slower than I normally would, since the kids could not keep up, otherwise. The young man soon put the smaller, pre-school child in a carrier on his back. That young man was not very big, yet he must have been strong and in good physical shape, to carry even a small child like that. As we walked along, I learned that the young man and his wife were from South Korea, he was working on an MBA at Illinois University and they would return to South Korea, when he finished his degree.
I was heading out much earlier than required, had plenty of time to get to my destination, the “Conversing Hoodoos”, well before sunset, so I guided them on a longer route than necessary, taking them past other interesting features on the way. The young man stopped to take snapshots along the way and I encouraged him to take as much time as he needed, since I had no need to hurry.
Conversing Hoodoos and background at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/15s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
We arrived at the conversing hoodoos with plenty of time to spare prior to sunset. The young couple insisted on taking a family photo with me and thanked me profusely for guiding them into Bisti. After explaining and pointing out the more direct and easy route back to the parking area, I left them alone, wandering down a canyon to get a few shots before it was time to get back to my primary subjects.
Near sunset light on hoodoos along a Bisti canyon wall. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 21mm, 1/50s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
I find that late day light, within an hour of sunset, is a good time to get shots that look good, when converted to monochrome. The late day light creates shadows and depth within the landscape image. While such photos can also look good in the original color version, I think the monochrome is more appealing.
A bit later from a distance, I saw the young man high up on a hill among some of the large hoodoos, shouting and waving. He seemed to be having a good time. He had told me they were going to the south area the following day and asked, if I would be there, as he was thinking that I could guide them around there, as well. Even though, I would have enjoyed that, I had no plans to go to the south area on this trip. They did have some information about the south area and I told them that that area was usually busy on weekends and that they could probably find others to at least point them in the right direction to see the things that they were interested in.
Near sunset light illuminates rock forms on a Bisti canyon wall. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 16mm, 1/25s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.Near sunset light illuminates a Bisti canyon wall. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/50s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
I was using my wide angle 14-24mm lens during this outing and I was not really pleased with most of my compositions with that lens at the Conversing Hoodoos. I decided that I needed to return on another day of my visit with my 24-70mm lens so that I could more easily get the compositions that I wanted.
Conversing Hoodoos at Sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/20s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.A jack rabbit shaped hoodoo in Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/40s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The “Jack Rabbit” (my name) hoodoo on top of this hillside, is difficult to photograph with a wide angle lens, since it is not easily accessible and shooting from below just does not get one close enough and one needs to get a close up view to see the “Jack Rabbit” shape. This feature is seen in a canyon near the “Conversing Hoodoos”.
Bisti Conversing Hoodoos at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/20s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Bisti Conversing Hoodoos at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/25s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Bisti Conversing Hoodoos at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/25s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Bisti canyon wall features in near sunset light. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/60s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The features in the image above are along a canyon wall near the “Conversing Hoodoos”. The little hoodoo in the middle looks like a bird in a nest, stretching its head out to survey the area.
The sky was mostly very clear with only a few distant clouds, which were not visible in most of my compositions. I am hoping that there will be a more interesting sky the next time I shoot here.
I continued exploring a canyon near the Conversing Hoodoos in search of suitable places to photograph either at sunrise or sunset.
A wing like hoodoo with a hole. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Why there are such nearly perfectly round holes in so many of the flatter rock features, I do not know; but I’m sure there is a scientific explanation.
A stern bird faced hoodoo. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I could not help but note how much like an angry bird this particular hoodoo looked like. I made numerous images from various points of view.
A stern bird faced hoodoo. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.A stern bird faced hoodoo. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Continuing into the canyon past the angry bird face, I came upon this batch of hoodoos, one of which has a very elegant, graceful lady like look. The angry bird hoodoo is visible in the background.
Graceful Hoodoo. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This next photo illustrates how the hoodoos are formed as the canyon walls erode.
Emerging Hoodoos. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Many of rocks are eroded into modern art like objects. My first impression of this one was that it could be seen as a chair, but then it seemed to morph into more of a nude torso in my imagination. Maybe some primordial force shapes my imagination!
Female Nude Torso Hoodoo. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The nude torso is accompanied by another strangely shaped modern art form.
Modern Art Hoodoos. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I wandered on down this canyon until I came to the end or, maybe more appropriately, its origin. This is but one branch off of a major wash through this area.
A view down a Bisti canyon. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
My first thought here was to turn back, ending my scouting for the day, since there only appeared to be steep, crumbly, clay soil badlands at the end of this canyon – a dead end; but then I realized that I could carefully climb out of the canyon and I wanted to see what was up above and what kind of views I could get from a higher elevation.
End/origin of the canyon. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Climbing the hill at the end of the canyon, I got this wider view of the area. The area in the lower right is the end of the canyon, while another canyon is visible in the center of the image, which somewhat parallels the branch that I explored.
Canyon Views from above. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Looking back over the canyon, that I came up, one can see where it branches off of a main wash in the upper right center and, shortly into the canyon, another branch going towards upper left of the photo.
A long petrified log with broken sections. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Continuing up the hillside, I discovered a rather long petrified log and sections that had broken from that log.
Petrified log and broken pieces. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Above the petrified log, I could see a large toadstool like rock with hints of others on the other side of the hill.
Toadstool Rocks and hints of others. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Toadstool hoodoos behind the hill above the petrified log, iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Red cap hoodoo and others. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Behind that hill above the petrified log, I found many toadstool like hoodoos emerging from the hillsides.
Red cap hoodoos and emerging ones. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Continuing to work my way around the hillside, I got a good view of the petrified log from above and I could see a way to safely get down near the log.
Petrified Log viewed from above . iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.A close up of a petrified log section. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.An end view of the long petrified log section. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I ended my scouting for today at this location, deciding to come back to this location early one morning for a real photo shoot.
I explored mostly along a route towards, around and past features known as the “Conversing Hoodoos” during my first scouting outing in the north portion of the Bisti Wilderness. Note that a few of the features in the images here were first seen by my son and I during our March scouting of this area; but we had scouted in much less of an organized manner and I wanted to record more precisely the locations of places to which I would return to photograph in better light conditions.
“Conversing Hoodoos” iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and Dxo Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
There are numerous canyons or washes throughout Bisti. The Conversing Hoodoos are near a junction of a couple of these canyons. These were to be my first features to photograph later and I wanted to check out various angles from which these might be photographed and whether they were best photographed at sunset or sunrise of if both sunrise and sunset would work well. There are many other interesting features near these and in nearby canyons or along the canyon walls.
A large batch of Bisti hoodoos near the Conversing Hoodoos. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.“Jack Rabbit” hoodoo, iPhone photo, with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Software
I called the small hoodoo on the top of this hill “Jack Rabbit”, because it looks like a rabbit when viewed in a particular manner. This feature is just a little past the Conversing Hoodoos.
“Jack Rabbit” hoodoo close up. iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The Jack Rabbit hoodoo is difficult to photograph due to its location. A long zoom might be better for shooting this feature than either a wide angle or a moderate zoom.
The Wizard Hat. A headless hoodoo that looks like a wizard hat. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Near the entrance into a canyon just past the Conversing Hoodoos is this pointy feature that was obviously the base for a hoodoo at one time, but the cap or head has fallen off.
Wing like hoodoos in a canyon wall. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
There are many interesting features and emerging hoodoos in the Bisti canyon walls. These can be difficult to isolate for interesting photographs and their locations often limit the golden hour light with many being in shadows, when the light would be good otherwise.
Animal like shape hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
I continued walking through a canyon just to the east side of the Conversing Hoodoos, finding many interesting features both in the canyon and along the canyon walls.
Animal like shape hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
I made a number of images of one particular hoodoo to illustrate how these can look so much different depending upon the angle of view.
Animal like shape hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.Animal like shape hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
From these two perspectives, this looks like a gecko; but others might imagine something else.
Animal like shape hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
Continuing along the canyon, I found a feature that I referred to as “Big Mouth”.
Clam Hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
Later in the day, while having a conversation in the parking lot with a group from a local mission, one asked if I had seen the “Clam”. I knew immediately that they were referring to this one that I had been calling “Big Mouth”.
Clam Hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
Another view of the Clam and other nearby features in this canyon.
How did these get here? iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
I’m always amazed when I find man made objects such as these in places where one would not expect to see such thing. These appear to be automotive engine parts, but there is not anything nearby to suggest how these arrived here. I assume these must have been dumped here many years ago before this area was designated a protected wilderness.
After having scouted some of the northern part of the Bisti Wilderness in New Mexico during my March 2019 visit, but not having time during that visit to photograph in that portion of Bisti, I wanted to go back and spend more time on the north end and I wanted to go before the hot weather of summer set in. For various reasons, I had delayed going back, but I finally set out in late May. Since I was eager to get there, knowing that leaving on a Friday would maybe present problems with finding a suitable and available stop over place and staying over on a Friday would result in arriving on a weekend, which tends to be a busy time for visitors, I decided to drive straight through (about a 12.5 hour drive, according to mapping software). With stops for fuel, food and to take time to walk around at rest breaks, I figured it would take 14-15 hours to get to Bisti. I had intended to leave home around 7AM and anticipated arriving at Bisti around 9-10PM and with total darkness not arriving before about 9PM, I would not have to drive for very long in the dark. However, as usual, I got away from home a little latter than the plan, so I arrived closer to 10PM than 9PM and it was already totally dark, when I arrived at the dirt road entry to the unofficial North Bisti parking area.
As I pulled off of NM 371 in total darkness, the dirt road looked different than I remembered. I had not been there in total darkness previously. Thinking more light would let me verify my location, I switched on both the upper and lower LED light bars, which are really bright. Even with that much light, initially I could not be sure that I was in the right place and I did not want to drive into the wrong area, so I consulted my iPhone map, which seemed to confirm that I was in the correct location. Nevertheless, I proceeded with caution. As I drove along, I began to feel more confident, as I recognized features from the March visit here.
As I turned past the bluff behind which was the large, open parking area, I saw a truck and an RV trailer in the distance. Not wanting to be a nuisance with my bright lights, I stopped at the edge of the parking area and switched off the LED light bars, made sure the regular vehicle lights were in low beam, then parked a respectable distance from the RV and truck. (For some reason, people coming into such areas like to park adjacent to others, even when there is much space available).
I walked around my vehicle with a flashlight to verify that there was no problem with my parking area. I noted how dark it was there and I marveled at the infinitely many stars in the sky. Seeing a campfire near the RV, I walked over to say hello and to be sure whoever were there were satisfied that I had not parked too close to their camp. (I must have been about 30 or so yards away, but I had plenty of space to move away more). As I approached their campfire, hailing whoever was there, and I got close enough, I saw one person sitting by the campfire, then another came out of the truck or trailer. The one by the campfire was a youngish man from Denver and the other an older man from Oregon. They confirmed that they had no problem with where I parked, then the older one said, “That is quite the light arrangement you have”. To which the younger one added, “I thought I was being abducted by aliens”. So it is good that I turned the lights off, when I did, rather than leaving them on until I parked!
I saw them again from a distance in the morning, but I never visited with them again, since they left sometime the next day, while I was out in the Wilderness.
My original plan for the first morning was to go out for sunrise photos, but since I was getting to bed after 11PM, had slept only 5-6 hours the night before, I would not get more than 5 hours sleep this night, if I got up early for sunrise and I had no definite route planned to get to a destination for sunrise, I decided it best to sleep in and scout the area first, rather than wander around in the early morning darkness.
So the first morning, after coffee and breakfast, I installed the solar panels, then went scouting, adding more GPS waypoints and shooting iPhone scouting photos. This is a really remarkable place to explore. There seems to be no end to interesting features, geology and photographic opportunities.
The “unofficial” north Bisti parking area. iPhone photo.
As I was installing the solar panels, a passenger type van with a sign on the side that I could not make out, passed by and parked near the corner of the fence line at the border of the Bisti wilderness area. A number of young people got out and I assumed it might be a geological field trip, maybe from a university. I anticipated encountering that group later, during my scouting of the area, but I never saw them again and the van was gone when I returned from my scouting walk about.
Petrified tree stump with twin peaks landmark in the background. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
As I returned from scouting the area, I frequently stopped to look around and behind me to get a feel of the area and to make mental notes of landmarks. I did not encounter anyone during my walk about, but at one point, I saw a group of people on an elevated area in the distance. I assumed that they must have come from the official south parking area, which is the most popular place for visitors.
Rock Ridge Landmark. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This rock ridge image illustrates the “leading line” technique in photography, with the line of rocks leading the eye through the photograph. (Click on the photo to view on Flickr).
Some of numerous hoodoos that are found along Bisti canyon walls. iPhone photo.A wing shaped hoodoo along a Bisti canyon wall. iPhone photo.An interesting turtle like hoodoo in a Bisti Canyon. iPhone photo.A finger like hoodoo along a Bisti canyon wall. iPhone photo.Odd shape ( a bird like one?) hoodoos along a Bisti canyon wall. iPhone photo.Headless Hoodoos with a Native American house in far background. The house makes a good navigation landmark, which can be seen from far away. iPhone photo.
I was alone in the parking area, much of the day, but others began to arrive in the afternoon, going out and returning well before sunset. I noted some were crossing the fence line near the corner and walking directly into the wilderness, rather than going to the south end of the parking area, where there was no fence at a drainage crossing, which I had been using. When I saw one such group returning to their vehicle in the afternoon, I approached them and asked about the route they were taking into Bisti. They assured me it was a good direct route with easy crossings of the deep drainage. They were all from a local mission and offered much advise on the area, including where to get water locally, rather than driving 45 miles into Farmington. One of them was a Navaho, but he did not look like a Native American, and he had lived in the area for 37+ years.
Wing like Bisti hoodoos, iPhone photo.
Crossing the fence line near where I parked would save a quarter mile (one way) walk across the parking area and maybe another 1/4 to 1/2 mile (one way) of walking otherwise. I found that walking directly east along the fence line led to a very easy place to get into the drainage, then I only had to walk a few yards along the drainage to an easy exit. So I am very glad that I watched and learned from other local visitors.
Large Bisti wing like Hoodoos. iPhone photo.Bisti hoodoo with a multi-colored layered base. (Click on the photo to view on Flickr).
I shot so many photos during this scouting session that I will break this post into multiples with more frequent posts. Hopefully, the frequency of these posts will not be too much for you.
My son and I went back to the “Scalloped Rocks” area for sunset photos on our last evening in Bisti. This area works for both sunrise and sunset photography.
Scalloped Rocks Area, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 30mm, f/11, 1/5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
In this photo I have used the row of rocks on the right side to create a leading line into the image. I also think the empty space at the lower left visually counter balances the weighty rocks on the right and upper portion of the image.
Pre-sunset light on Bisti Rocks, Scalloped Rocks Area, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 30mm, f/11, 1/6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The two images above were made before the best light at sunset, as is apparent in the bottom photo. For photos taken at this time, monochrome version are sometimes best, but I still like the color version, too.
Sculpture Garden. Pre-sunset light on Bisti Rocks, Scalloped Rocks Area, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 34mm, f/16, 0.5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Some of the rocks in this area look like modern art sculptures.
Sunset light on Bisti Rocks, Scalloped Rocks Area, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 70mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The photo above illustrates how saturated the colors become right at sunset. Otherwise, most of the rocks in this area have rather dull colors.
The Gathering. Sunset light on Bisti Rocks, Scalloped Rocks Area, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 38mm, f/16, 0.6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I am always amazed at how much difference the “magic” light at sunset makes in a photograph. View this photo on Flickr by clicking on it and the details will be much more vivid. I call this “The Gathering”, since there is a circle of rocks around a much smaller hoodoo near the center.
Ready to launch into battle. Two image Luminar Aurora 2019 HDR, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 55mm, f/16, 1s and 2s exposures, ISO 64.
The photo above is an HDR created via two exposures of 1 and 2 seconds, so that both the sky and the foreground objects are properly exposed. This is a moderate HDR, which looks more realistic than many of the HDR effect that one can create. I can imagine a creature in battle gear in the rock feature on the left. Maybe a turtle like alien from another universe or a video game creature?
Conversing Rocks. Two shots Luminar Aurora 2019 HDR, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 44mm, f/16, 13s and 2s exposures, ISO 64.
These two last images are also HDRs. The one above is created via two images with exposures of 2 seconds and 13 seconds. I call these rock formations, “Conversing Rocks”, since I can imagine animal like faces in the upper portion of the features, with the two facing each other with the one on the right appearing to be saying something to the one on the left, who is smiling about whatever is being said.
A two image Luminar Aurora 2019 HDR. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 50mm, f/16, 6s and 20s exposures, ISO 64.
I moved in and a little to the right to get the bottom composition, making a 6 second and a 20 second exposure, then combining these in Luminar Aurora 2019 HDR software. Can you see the animal like shapes in the rocks?
The difficulty that I have with making photos with these high contrasts is getting a good depth of field, since the light is low and focusing can be difficult. One might note that the rock in the bottom right of the second image is fuzzy, so I failed to get the desired depth of field in this image.
This post wraps up this trip. I spent a week on the north side of Bisti the last week of May, so I will be posting photos and blogging about my experiences on that side of Bisti, but to add variety, I will begin to mix in post from other places. This means that I will have to get some items out of chronological order, which I hope does not create confusion.
Midday of day 7, and our final day in Bisti, my son and I returned to the north area of Bisti to explore and scout potential areas to return to later.
Petrified tree stumps in north Bisti iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
We found these large petrified tree stumps in the broad wash area that we have to cross on our way into this area.
A petrified tree stump in Bisti. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Here is another petrified tree stump we found.
A petrified tree stump in Bisti iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
And a view from the top side of the stump reveals more color from mineralization and lichen.
Beneath the x in the sky iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
My son seems to have found the magic spot beneath the big X in the sky.
Someone called these the conversing hoodoos for obvious reason. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I had GPS coordinates for features someone labeled “Conversing Hoodoos”. I had not seen photos of these, so I had no idea what they would look like; but upon finding them, it was obvious why these were so named.
Numerous wing like hoodoos in north Bisti iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
In the same general area as the conversing hoodoos are
Assorted hoodoos in the northern Bisti area iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
other large wing like hoodoos.
Large wing like hoodoos in north Bisti iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
More large wing like hoodoos that we saw in this area are in the photo above.
I’ve nicknamed this feature “Jack rabbit Hoodoo” iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
When the wing like feature above is view at just the right angle, it has a jack rabbit like appearance, hence my calling it “Jack Rabbit Hoodoo”. This feature is in the vicinity of the Conversing Hoodoos.
Many large hoodoos in Bisti iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The large wing like hoodoo features in the photo above are, also, nearby the conversing hoodoos.
Photo scouting in North Bisti iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
My son walks past one of the rock features on the north side in the above photo. Note how far one can see from an upper elevation in Bisti. This is very helpful, when navigating this area. There are landmarks that one can see from miles away from higher elevations, such as this, and use those landmarks to navigate by.
Although, we found many interesting places for photography on the north side of Bisti, we did not have time to get back to this area for either sunrise or sunset photography during this visit. I returned to this area the last week of May, 2019 and spent many hours photographing and wandering this area. That visit will be the subject of more blog posts in the future.
[Followers may have noted that there is no day 6 sunset post. This is because it became very windy and dusty prior to time to go out for sunset photos that evening. So we elected to skip the planned shoot for that evening].
For sunrise photos on day 7 in Bisti, my son and I returned to the area just outside the Bisti north area.
An interesting rock form silhouette at sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 70mm, f/11, 4.0s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I captured this early morning silhouette of a bird like hoodoo here.
The smaller rock feature in the upper left looks like a satellite dish. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 31mm, f/11, 25s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I shot this particular rock formation mainly due to the rock shape at the upper left that has a satellite dish look.
A row of rock forms with sunrise light. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 56mm, f/11, 0.5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The sunrise light was very good today, but the sky was boring.
Rock forms in the BLM area near North Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 56mm, f/11, 0.5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Silver Efex Pro 2.
A monochrome conversion of the previously posted image. Even though the sunrise light was good, I’m inclined to like the monochrome version better, maybe due to lack of interest in the background sky.
A hoodoo and other rock forms in the near North Bisti Area. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 56mm, f/11, 1/6s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The hoodoo cap on the left has features that make it look almost alive and it looks like it is displeased with the jumble of rocks on the right.
The smug rock from another view point. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 36mm, f/11, 0.5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The smug looking rock, that readers will have seen in an earlier post, seems to be staring at the contrails in the sky.
Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 48mm, f/11, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I think this would be a really interesting photo, if only the sky was not so boring. The light falls upon several features as if purposely spotlighted.
Black and White with spotlight effect. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 48mm, f/11, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Silver Efex Pro 2.
The black and white version looks even more dramatic; although, the image here looks muted. Click on the photo to view it on Flickr, where it will look much better.
After returning from scouting the north area and having a late lunch, I decided to kill some time, while waiting until time to go out for sunset photos by walking around in the area just across the road, west of the south parking area. Usually, I only went a very short distance into this area to climb a hill to get a cell signal.
This area, as far as I know is not a part of the designated Bisti Wilderness and is probably on Navaho land, but it might also be BLM land.
South Bisti area scouting photo. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DXO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Just into this area, I spotted this small arch with a view through it into the parking area. The red blob within the arch opening is my Sportsmobile.
South Bisti area scouting photo. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DXO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This photo is a close up of the arch with the parking lot visible through it.
South Bisti area scouting photo. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DXO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
A really close up shot through the arch in which my red Sportsmobile is visible near the center.
Red capped hoodoos in a wash iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Continuing through the wash behind the arch, I found these small red capped hoodoos in the wash.
This automobile carcass is on a hill side bordering a wash. It must have gotten here via a flash flood. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
A little further down the wash, I found this upside down automobile body on a hill bordering the wash. I wondered how this got here, since there is no road, not even a reasonable way to drive into here to dump a wrecked vehicle. Then I realized that it must have been deposited here by a flash flood.
This must have been deposited here via a flash flood. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This view from the opposite side gives a better context for its location.
Hiking through this wash I encountered more automobile parts, which may have come from this vehicle. One such part is in the photo below.
Deposited here via flash flood(?) iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.The dark rock chips scattered over much of Bisti come from this dark layer of rock. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The dark layer in the side of this hill is the geological deposition from which all the dark rock fragments scattered all around Bisti are derived.
Dark rock layer weathering creates horseshoe pattern on a hillside iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I saw the horseshoe like features on this hill side from a distance and they looked like a strange geological feature, so walked closer to investigate. This photo clearly shows that there are exposed portions of the dark rock layer that are weathering. The loose rock fragments are then washed downhill creating this geometric feature.
The many red rocks scattered across Bisti come from this red rock layer. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The red rock layer above is probably the source of all the red rocks scattered all around Bisti. This is the only place that I consciously have observed this rock layer still contained within other layers of rock. I frequently see it as caps over the underlying layers, where the overlying layers have already eroded away.
The geological observations and/or conclusions/conjectures here are my own and not necessarily academically robust.
Clothes dryer shell. Deposited here via flash flood (?) iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
A hoodoo on the wash wall with a clothes dryer visible in the wash in the lower left of the photo. I’m guessing that this clothes dryer shell also got here via a flash flood.
Deposited here by flash flood (?) iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
And a roll away bed frame that probably got here via a flash flood, too. I suppose it is possible that some of these type items might have been intentionally dumped into a wash somewhere, then got moved around via flash flooding.
The water here is either rich in minerals or dissolves minerals as it flows over the terrain, later dropping out of solution as the water evaporates. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Walking back towards the parking area, I looked more carefully around the drainage flowing out of Bisti into the area across the road. It is apparent that there are salts or other minerals in the water that drop out along the stream as the water floods over the land, then evaporates. This area is very soft and it is not advisable to walk into it.
Abstract art form in mud along a shallow stream bed. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The stream creates abstract art like patterns in the mud, some outlined with colorful mineral deposits.
Abstract patterns in mud in a shallow stream bottom. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The above mud pattern makes a really nice abstract photo.
This has gotten into a much longer post than I intended. I hope you have not been too bored by it.
On day 6 in Bisti my son and I went to the unofficial north parking area for access to the northern portion of Bisti Wilderness. Neither of us had previously been to this portion of Bisti, so we were truly exploring. I had GPS coordinates to a few of the northern features that I had gleaned from online research, but rather than heading towards any of my GPS coordinates, we just wandered around on an exploration hike today.
Shortly after crossing the deep drainage at one end of the parking lot, we found an abandoned well.
North Bisti area scouting photo iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DXO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This well is not very deep, but it would not be good to fall into this, while hiking in the dark, as we usually do in the early morning on our way out for sunrise photos and in the evening on our way back from sunset photography.
Continuing to follow the broad open wash/valley area, we could see features on the top of hills in the distance, so we headed towards those.
North Bisti area scouting photo iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DXO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
From a distance, the features above looked like three distinct hoodoos, so I nicknamed these the Hoodoo Trio. On a subsequent visit to this area in May (more photos and blogs from that visit will be posted later in the summer or early fall), I used these features as primary navigation points to and from destinations in this area.
North Bisti area scouting photo iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DXO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
That is my son hiking near this hoodoo navigation beacon.
North Bisti area scouting photo iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DXO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Hiking in a wash on the west side of the Hoodoo Trio, we eventually worked our way up to a plateau area, encountering a Hoodoo rich area that we called the “Valley of Hoodoos”. The photo above is near our exit point from the valley onto the plateau. (During my May visit here, I found an easier way to get to this area and also a short cut to get from this plateau back to the north parking area).
Multiple exits from this valley/wash are possible iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
If my memory serves me well, I think we exited this valley at the blue arrow, hiking up through the Valley of Hoodoos onto the plateau. In May, I found it easier to follow the wash along the left side of the photo, exiting at the green arrow. There is one big step up on the green arrow route on the way out, then a big step down, when returning on this route. Other than that big step it is an easy route.
A red rock garden area, just to the south of the “Valley of Hoodoos” exit iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
After exiting the Valley of Hoodoos we very soon came to this “Red Rock Garden” area. Walking through the rock garden, we found many interesting features, some of which, I recognized from our first visit to Bisti in 2011. At that time, we came from the south parking area; but it is much easier and quicker to get to this portion of Bisti from the unofficial north parking area.
North Bisti area scouting photo iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DXO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The features in the above photo are on the plateau, just over a hill from the rock garden. My son named the hoodoo in the foreground here the Tongue Hoodoo. I think it is obvious how he came up with that name. I think the other large hoodoo in the left background is one that someone called The Pedestal.
North Bisti area scouting photo iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DXO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
A wing like hoodoo with a hole in it is shown above.
Wing like structures with holes are fairly common in Bisti. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The same hoodoo with the hole, but from the top side. Holes in such rocks seem to be common here.
Just to the south of this area, we came to a very deep drainage, on the other side of which were other interesting features, but we did not see an easy way down into that drainage. We did see someone photographing features in the drainage and he motioned towards an access point, but we were running out of time on this scouting trip, so we did not attempt to find our way down, deciding it best to head back.
We came back to scout more in this area on our last day here and I will blog about that in a subsequent post.
