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As we drove west through north-western New Mexico, on Indian Service Route #36, this uniquely towering, volcanic rock formation slowly came in to view. “Shiprock”, as its called, stands alone on the desert plain, at 1,583 feet above the valley floor and 7,177 above sea level, it can be seen from 60 miles away. It is an “oddity” about it because it doesn’t match the surrounding landscape. As we drove around, looking for a place to park our RV, we quickly discovered that the Navajo Nation owned and governed the lands that surrounded Shiprock. That stated, not only could we not find a place to park, but we also couldn’t find a good spot to take a photo either. As luck should have it however, we happened upon a local, rough and rocky gravel road that lead led us through a Navajo community and towards Shiprock. With some trepidation (we wondered if we were trespassing), we continued on. After taking a few shots, an uneasiness began to set in, so we turned around; sensing this was a sacred place and we didn’t belong. Shiprock got it’s name because of its formation, which resembles an enormous 19th. century merchant sailing ship. Note: There are two other versions of this photograph on this site, search “The Towering Shiprock" and “Shiprock Adventure"
This was indeed a lucky shot, in that I had just pulled into a campsite in Monument Valley National Monument campground when I noticed the moon on the rise. I happened to have my camera by my side, and we happened to be at “the” perfect spot for this composition. I was thrilled and excited! In order to get this shot however, I had to jump into action! The moon was rising quickly and what little light there was, was disappearing fast! Working without a tripod, I used the door of the RV to support my camera for the slow shutter speed I had to use (.1sec), and it worked! This photo was taken at dusk and the red monument mountains were only slightly lit, the color was hard to see. Thankfully though, my slow shutter speed was slow enough to absorb what little color remained. On this day, I was extremely glad that my camera was by my side!
