The holidays were hectic and January has been absolutely insane! I can’t believe it’s February already! I’ve been partaking in a little down time from the camera and social media in general, needing to catch up on other life chaos, some post processing and getting myself ready for Milky Way season! 

In November I took an unplanned trip out to Shiprock. This place has been on my list for a while and I wanted to scout it out before making a serious trip out there. I scouted for the day and setup just before sunset for a couple of star trailsCircular or curved lines in a long-exposure image caused by Earth’s rotation and the apparent movement of stars. while I was there. 

History Behind Shiprock 

This was such a neat location! The vastness of the rock face and the placement of the lava tunnels that are visible from above the ground was breathtaking! It made me decide to do a little research on the location so I though I would share some of that with you!

Shiprock prominently rises 1,583 feet above the desert floor making it one of the most prominent landmarks in New Mexico.  The area is rich with Native American Legend, especially Navajo folklore.  The Navajo people names the peak Tsé Bit’a’I, or “rock with wings.”  Legend says that while being chased by a warlike tribe, a large rock bird rose from the Earth and carried the tribe to New Mexico. Once brought to the Southwest, the Navajo people only came down from the peak to gather water and tend to their crops. It was during one such trip that the peak was struck by lightning, destroying the trail, and stranding the women and children at the peak. 

Shiprock is composed of volcanic breccia and minette, dating over 27 million years old.  It is the throat of a volcano that formed 2,500 – 3,000 feet below the Earth’s surface.  Rock climbing was banned after a rock climber was injured in March 1970.  The entire area has been rendered taboo by the Navajo people because of their fear of death and the aftermath of death.  

About the images: 

Image 1: I’ve been working to get in more foreground elementsObjects in the lower or closer part of an image that add depth and context to the composition. in my images and I was pretty happy with this one! This shot was taken on my Canon 5D MKIII with the Canon 16-35. Shot at ISOA camera setting that controls the sensor’s sensitivity to light, affecting exposure and noise. 2500, with an apertureThe opening in a camera lens that controls the amount of light entering the sensor and affects depth of field. of f/3.5 and a shutter of 25 seconds x 160 images. The final edits were made in Lightroom, Photoshop and DXO Nik. The foreground was taken just after sunset and blended with the sky. 

Image 2: This shot was taken on my Sony A7R III with the Rokinon 24. Shot at ISO 3200, with an aperture of f/3.5 and a shutter of 25 seconds x 160 images. The final edits were made in Lightroom, Photoshop and DXO Nik. The foreground was taken just after sunset and blended with the sky. 

That’s a wrap!

I hope you enjoyed! 

Have you been there? Share your image with me below in the comments!