I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the desert under the new moon lately, and Father Sky never seems to disappoint. This last cycle found me underneath incredibly fine conditions for shooting; both transparency and clarity of the air provided ‘seeing’ conditions that I may never have witnessed in my life. Once the galactic center of the Milky Way rose, it actually cast a diffuse shadow, which I could clearly see while passing one hand in front of another.
This image is from one of this country’s amazing pieces of road, UT State Highway 95 cutting through Comb Ridge near Blanding, UT. I personally think as people interested in the environment and as photographers we take for granted the highways, roads and trails we routinely use to access what might otherwise be inaccessible areas.
Many would never consider ‘dispersed’ camping 100 meters off a state highway, and yet three nights of this trip were spent under said conditions: at Moki Dugway, Comb Ridge, and lastly on Red Mountain Pass up at 11,000′. They were great experiences, far better than the night I spent at Goosenecks State Park Campground. I spent this particular night overlooking the highway a few hundred meters from my ‘camp’, and it was windless and completely quiet, except for the occasional car (which could only be heard once it got down to the bottom of the valley floor). Once it started to get dark, I started hearing a strange, metallic ‘pinging’ sound that I couldn’t immediately identify. I finally figured out that the 1/4-mile+ long guardrail on the road was cooling and contracting; as the ‘pings’ occurred, the sound came from behind this view, and literally shot down into the valley, in a sort of three-dimensional ‘natural surround sound’ effect that was stunning.
I like the contrast you have on the sky, and really like what you did with the car lights and ensuring they don't blow out the image.
I know you didn't ask for it, but I would like to make a suggestion that's probably more of an opinion. The mountain range does not look right. To me the exposure is not right. It looks like you're going for an overall natural looking exposure, but I feel you've increased the shadows on the mountains too much. Your eyes would probably not be able to see the detail that well.
ckcarr wrote:
Read the Monkeywrench Gang to feel a kinship with that road.
I guess I'll have to re-visit that one, it's been about 3 decades since I've read it!
01Ryan10 wrote:
I like the contrast you have on the sky, and really like what you did with the car lights and ensuring they don't blow out the image.
I know you didn't ask for it, but I would like to make a suggestion that's probably more of an opinion. The mountain range does not look right. To me the exposure is not right. It looks like you're going for an overall natural looking exposure, but I feel you've increased the shadows on the mountains too much. Your eyes would probably not be able to see the detail that well.
Thanks for the comment, Ryan. I'm always struggling to find that perfect balance between "Crap, I can't see anything" and "Wow, that looks bright!". My intent is to try and present what it looked like to me without it being a muddy, dark mess in the shadows (which would, in reality, be virtually the entire foreground, up to the horizon). I have another image From Red Mtn. Pass that I'm still working with that same issue on.
