Indian Service Road 7900/7950 is the most direct way into Chaco Canyon from the northeast, crossing through the Navajo Nation from Nageezi. It is a rough, rocky, washboard of a dirt track, and it traverses through layer after layer of high desert geologic time with little human presence to mark its passing. On our way to greet a Chaco morning last fall we were stopped by one of the most intense sunrises I have ever seen. The sky was a fire of flaming stratus streamers, whose show I wanted to anchor with a bit of mesa line and chaparral. Without the assistance of my 5-stop graduated neutral density filter to open up some detail in the foreground, the chaparral and mesa would have become silhouettes. A focal length of 187mm was sufficiently telephoto to somewhat magnify the clouds and mesa, yet with enough angle-of-view to give a sense of the enormity of the cloud cover. An aperture of f/18, given the camera-to-subject distance, provided depth-of-field; and combined with a shutter speed of 1/5th second at ISO 100, it created a slightly darker-than-medium overall exposure. I wondered what the ancients would have thought.
In the Beginning
by Lui Umano | Jan 1, 2016 | January 2016 | 13 comments
Spectacular!
Magnificently portrayed firmament!
What a wonderful sight early in the day. I thought I’d seen the most beautiful sunrises in Utah, but you’ve taken the trophy. Great capture.
Congratulations on being there ready to shoot. Where I live the red skies in the morning are very short lived. That intense color doesn’t last long. Thanks for sharing and reminding us of the rewards of showing up early!
WOW…….fire in the sky. Amazing. Makes me want to travel out west again.
Howdy Don, I’m back. And what a wonder first image of the New Year. Who doesn’t love sunsets & sunrises. The flaming warm colors with a bit of cooler tones makes them resonate even richer. Love Chaco Culture National Historical Park too.
There is something almost spiritual in the rising and setting of the sun. The ancients certainly thought so and I think that is why moderns never tire of glorious scenes like this one.
Wow! Spectacular colors and very awe inspiring. Thank you for sharing this photo.
The ancients would have thought: Wow, that guy really, really knows how to capture sunsets and sacred places in our land. They, as I, thank you.
Thanks for providing the sacred space for my morning prayers on a site called “Sacred Space”. Ancients would have been afraid.
Hi Everyone. Wow, thank you all for joining me for this first Image of 2016. I had wanted to share something symbolic of beginnings and a sunrise image seemed to fit that criterion, but I had no idea it would resonate with so many folks as it did. Ron, I appreciate your kind comment; and I’m always glad to have you with us. Thank you, Rosemary. I appreciate your kind words. I am somehow drawn to water in all of its forms, including clouds. Hey, Chuck; thank you for joining us. When it comes to the skies of the Southwest, I never take anything for granted. There always seems to be a more beautiful one somewhere down the road; and I keep being drawn back to see if I can find a new one to share. I hope your recovery is going well. We look forward to seeing you and Lois in the New Year. Nancy T., I have to admit there is something about the morning and evening skies of the Southwest that creates in them a tendency to linger. Maybe it’s just the vast distances that are visible in so many places. I am always in awe of what they share with me. Thanks for your kind words. Hey Robin, glad you and the Boss are back in the neighborhood. Thank you for joining us. “Fire in the sky”, indeed. I’m thinking “road trip.” Howdy, Michael; it’s good to have you back with us. I hope things in Rhode Island are well. I know how much you love the Southwest, and so I appreciate your words all the more. I was thinking about those warm-cool tonal contrasts as I watched this scene unfold, and I was glad to see a bit of that blue sky behind all the flames. Dorsey, I always appreciate your sense of the sacred, for I am aware of the deep wellsprings of your faith. And your description of the link between the ancients and us moderns at present, as seen in sunrises and sunsets, is a thought to be appreciated and pondered. We are connected and our sense of the beauty of the sacred is a great part of that connection. Thank you for reminding us. Hi Jessyca. Thanks for being with us. I am honored to be able to share anything that inspires a deeper connection with beauty. I appreciate you kind words. Hey, Pat; it’s always good to have you with us. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I’ve always wanted to have a conversation with those guys. Hi Bob. I’m really glad that I can offer that visual sacred space for you. I would have to respectfully disagree that the ancients would be “afraid.” In awe, certainly; but I believe the ancients had a healthy enough relationship with the sacred to appreciate it for its connection with beauty and to understand the need to exercise caution with respect to its power. Thanks, again, Everyone for being with me for this first Image of the New Year. I am privileged to share some of what I see with you and honored that what I share can resonate with you.
Don, the sunrise is breathtaking, but you may remember I love silhouettes which I would not have minded in your gorgeous photo. It brings back very fond memories, and instills a hope for a peaceful New Year!
Hey Joani. Thanks for joining us. Then you’ll be happy to learn that I took several frames without the GND just so that I could have something with a silhouette. Either way, I’m glad it could evoke such fond remembrances, and I do wish you a very peaceful 2016.