Bisti May 2019 – Day 1 Scouting – Part 3

I continued exploring a canyon near the Conversing Hoodoos in search of suitable places to photograph either at sunrise or sunset.

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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.

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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.

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A stern bird faced hoodoo.  iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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Toadstool Rocks and hints of others.  iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
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Toadstool hoodoos behind the hill above the petrified log,  iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
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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.

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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.

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Petrified Log viewed from above . iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
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A close up of a petrified log section.  iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
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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.

Until next time,

Ken

Bisti May 2019 – Day 1 Scouting – Part 2

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.

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“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.

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A large batch of Bisti hoodoos near the Conversing Hoodoos.  iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
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“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.

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“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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Animal like shape hoodoo.  iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
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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.

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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”.

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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”.

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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.

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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.

To be continued…

Ken

Bisti – May 2019 – Arrival and Day 1 Scouting – Part 1

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.

Sportsmobile in the Bisti North Parking Lot
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.

Twin Peaks
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.

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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).

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Some of numerous hoodoos that are found along Bisti canyon walls. iPhone photo.
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A wing shaped hoodoo along a Bisti canyon wall. iPhone photo.
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An interesting turtle like hoodoo in a Bisti Canyon.  iPhone photo.
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A finger like hoodoo along a Bisti canyon wall.  iPhone photo.
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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.

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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.

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Large Bisti wing like Hoodoos.  iPhone photo.
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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.

Ken

Spring 2019 Road Trip – Bisti – Day 7 – Sunset

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.

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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.

Sunset Day 7 Bisti March2019
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.

Sunset Day 7 Bisti March2019
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 Day 7 Bisti March2019
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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

Until then,

Ken

Spring 2019 Road Trip – Bisti – Day 7 – Scouting

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

Day 7 March2019 Bisti North Scouting
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.

Day 7 March2019 Bisti North Scouting
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.

Day 7 March2019 Bisti North Scouting
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.

Day 7 March2019 Bisti North Scouting
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.

Until next time,

Ken

Spring 2019 Road Trip – Bisti – Day 6 Scouting

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.

Day 4 March2019 Scout @ North Bisti
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.

Day 6 March2019 Scout @ North Bisti
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.

Day 6 March2019 Scout @ North Bisti
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.

Day 6 March2019 Scout @ North Bisti
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).

Day 6 North Side Scouting
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.

Day 6 North Side Scouting
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.

Day 6 March2019 Scout @ North Bisti
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.

Day 6 March2019 Scout @ North Bisti
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.

Day 6 North Side Scouting
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.

Ken

Spring Road Trip 2019 – Bisti – Day 6 – Sunrise

My son and I returned to the “Scalloped Rocks” area of Bisti for sunrise photography on day 6 in Bisti March, 2019.  This morning’s shoot was frustrating for me.  I had a malfunction with my remote/intervalometer that resulted in the camera shooting continuously, just as I was composing what I thought would be my best shot of the morning.

Another of my shots, that I thought would be really good, turned out to have much too shallow a depth of field.  It looked good in my quick review in the camera LED screen, but apparently, I did not inspect it closely enough and maybe my fingers were so cold at that time that I was not using my best judgement.

Sunrise Day 6 March2019
A pre-sunrise shot in the Scalloped Rocks area of South Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 24mm, f/11, 10s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.

A shot across the area just before sunrise is shown above.

Sunrise Day 6 March2019
Sunrise in the Scalloped Rocks area of South Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 28mm, f/11, 2.5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.

And another pre-sunrise shot from a different point of view is above.

Sunrise Day 6 March2019
An accidental abstract. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 27mm, f/11, 0.5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.

While my camera was shooting continuously, due to the remote release malfunction, there were numerous images captured, which were all trash; but I decided to make use of the one above, since it has interesting abstract photographic features, which I do not think I could have purposely created.

Sunrise Day 6 March2019
Sunrise light, clouds and silhouetted rock forms. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 70mm, f/11, 1/6s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.

I finally captured the image above, after managing to remove the remote release with my fumbling, numb fingers on this cold morning.  Valuable time was lost as I dealt with the equipment problem and I think I missed the best pre-sunrise light composition here; but at least I got this silhouette of a window with the sunrise sky in the background, before the sun was completely up.

Some days are like this,

Ken

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

Spring 2019 Road Trip – Sunrise – Day 5

We returned to the area just outside the Bisti Wilderness on the north end of Bisti for sunrise photography on day 5 of our stay in Bisti.

Sunrise Day 5 March 2019
Accidental Sunrise Abstract. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 19mm, f/11, 1/10s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.

I use a remote shutter release to avoid camera shake that results when physically pressing the on camera shutter button.  Sometimes the remote shutter release button gets pressed accidentally, especially when moving the camera, maybe when walking with the camera on a tripod with the remote dangling from the camera.  I usually just delete such accidental shots and that was my inclination for the image above.  However, the colors and patterns looked intriguing to me, so I kept this image, pushing the texture and colors in Adobe Lightroom with additional editing in Dxo Nik Color Efex Pro 4 to get this “abstract” image.  I wish I could say that I shot this one purposely, since I like it; but I doubt that I could duplicate this image, even if I tried.  Maybe my most interesting shots are totally accidental!

Sunrise Day 5 March 2019
Sunrise light on rock forms near Bisti North. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 1/30s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.

Fortunately, there were some clouds in the sky this morning to add some interest to the sky.  The early morning light brings out the structure and color of the rocks here, which are otherwise not very colorful.

Sunrise Day 5 March 2019
Sunrise light in an area near Bisti North. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 18mm, f/11, 1/40s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.

The two images above are mostly of the same subject, but it is obvious that moving around getting a different point of view can yield very different photos.  I call the rock feature in the center of the one above “Satellite Dish Rock”, since the pointy rock just right of top center looks a lot like a satellite dish from a rear view point.  I have another photo from the rear taken on another day, but I’m not sure that it is good enough to post.

Sunrise Day 5 March 2019
Sunrise light on rock forms in an area near north Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 1/40s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.

I like the way the early morning light highlights the rocks in a diagonal pattern in this photo (best viewed large on Flickr).  There are many interesting rock features in the background that may not be obvious, unless this image is viewed large.

Sunrise Day 5 March 2019
Sunrise light in the BLM area near north Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 1/50s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.

I’m using the rock and its shadow on the bottom left to anchor the foreground and the drainage pattern beside it to lead the eye up the hill to the rock outcrops and the small window rock in the upper left.

It occurs to me, when looking at these photos, that some may think these just depict dirt and rocks.  So why spend so much time and energy photographing such objects?  As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Not all of us will have an appreciation of the natural beauty of the land.  Indeed, in midday light, much of this area is just bland dirt and rocks.  But add golden hour light and a few clouds in the sky and I think it is beautiful, at least if captured in a well composed image.  Whether or not I manage to capture an interesting image is always a matter of creative vision and I know that I do not always succeed in that endeavor.  So your critiques are always welcome and may help me to improve my photography.

Thanks for following,

Ken

P.S.  I will be traveling for a few days and posts may be irregular, since I may not have internet connectivity.

Spring 2019 Road Trip – Bisti – Day 4 – Sunset

On day 4 of my March 2019 photography excursion, my son and I went to the little area on the north side of Bisti, which we think is actually on BLM land and is not a part of the designated Bisti wilderness.

Sunset Day 4 March2019
A smug looking rock. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 20mm, f/11, 1/50s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.

I had spotted this rather smug looking rock on an earlier scouting of this area.  The rock has a cartoon like face expression, maybe implying “I’m not talking to any of you”.  [Not that rocks actually speak to me, at least not in actual spoken words].

Sunset Day 4 March 2019
Final Curtain Call of the Day. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 1/50s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Dxo Nik Color Efex Pro 4.

One of the hoodoos that we also found on an earlier scouting here is in the above photograph.  It is too bad that the sky was so drab and uninteresting on this day.

Sunset Day 4 March 2019
Future flows from Past. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 1/13s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.

The photo above is an attempt to use the drainage pattern and the broad band of red pebble covered ground as leading lines into the background features; but there might be too much of the foreground in this case.  It would have been good to have something else of interest in the near fore ground.

Sunset Day 4 March 2019
The Final Spotlight before Night’s Curtain falls. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 1/15s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.

I like this smaller (but actually fairly large) feature in the center here with the sand pattern around it from erosion of that feature.  I would have liked to have gotten a bit more isolation of this feature, but I could not find a suitable place from which to photograph it to achieve that on this day.  Anyway, this composition does give a good sense of the environment here and the setting for this feature.

As a reminder, clicking on any of the photos in this post will take you to the photo on Flickr, where they will probably look better than on this web page or in your e-mail.  Also big screens are better for viewing these photos than small, mobile devices.

Until next time,

Ken

P.S.  I will be traveling again for a few days, so the next few posts might be delayed, since I do not know where or when I might have adequate internet connectivity.