Mysterious Monolith

Mystical place...magical shot.

Very stunning, yet quite natural/believable image. My parents both grew up in New Mexico, and often talked about visiting this location. A sight like that would be hard to forget. Nice capture, and thanks for the large version for us to enjoy!

This is an incredible image ... but without the moon. Would prefer the sky on the left side of Shiprock to look like the right side.

Otherwise, it's really a stunning image. The sky was handled perfectly. There's a perfect dispersion of stars, not too many to and not too sparse. You did really well with that. The night sky looks pinkish which not how it appears to the eye but for some reason it doesn't detract from the image. It would be interesting to see how it looks if that sky was cooled down.

This is a fine image, Kory. Looks to be a 3 image blend that conveys an excellent sense of mystery and (as you say) other worldliness. The star field is spectacular with all of the colors showing so well.

Wow! The large version is a must view. very nice.

I love the mystical feel of the image. Great mood. Well done.

Enjoyed viewing this neat shot.

I love that you rendered the moon in this way - instead of taking a separate image with a telephoto and then dropping it in their in PS. This is real and this is beautiful

Full Moon set in the West (this was taken from the East Side?) would happen at about sunrise when the milky way wouldn't be at all visible? Not sure even in very dark places (such as the middle of the Pacific) that I have seen the milky way with a full moon up. Is this a composition of several photos?

Nice effect anayway.

Cheers: Tom

Super shot!
Grt, Ingrid.

I love these kind of shots, very well done sky.
I might lighten the FG a tad.
and to Tom, this is not a full moon, a partial moon I am sure with the long exposure.
This might be a combination, but it doesn't look like it to me.
I have taken numerous photos with a partial moon and stars that look like this.

I Hope Kory shares some of his secrets here, certainly a dramatic image, but it is taken from the East side, making a rising moon somewhat unlikely. I am a little familiar with this landmark having flown over it a few dozen times. There are on the internet some really nice sunset photos taken from near this location.

Again, a very dramatic image!

Regards: Tom

Wow, I wish I could do that

WOW! This image really conveys the "sacred" idea you describe. I REALLY like your treatment of the sky -- much better than those shots where zillions of stars are shining in bright sky. The more I look at it, however, the more questions I have about where the light is coming from. The exposure of the rock is lovely, but the direction of the light on it makes me wonder about the position of the moon, which obviously can't be the source of the light on the rock.

P.S. After reading the other comments, I guess the only suggestion that I can think of is to clear up the questions about looking west, and describing it as a "rising moon." That would restore the breathtaking feeling I got when I first saw this, and help me enjoy it as much as such as beautiful sight deserves.

Exceptional image, but like others have pointed out, it would sure be nice to know some details of how you captured it.

Kory, This looks really nice and it has a wonderfully mysterious mood. That night sky looks fantastic. I like it very much.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Hi Kory,

I have only a few words for this image. Hmm let me see stunning, soul stirring, and down right spiritual. There is something about this image that awakes your spirit on a level that is so raw. Just awesome Kory.

Damn!!!!

Love the comp and impressive that you could get such starlight along with the full moon. A bit red in the sky but I think ti works well in contrast with the monolith. Sweet shot

Hey everyone. Sorry for the delayed replies. I left the country the morning after posting this and just got back last night.

Anyhow, yes, this really is a moonrise. And, no, it's not a full moon, but crescent moon. Also, this is all from ONE exposure. Lastly, regarding the light on the rock, there are lights from a town on the distant horizon which add that light. I considered trying to remove the light, but ended up leaving it in because I thought it made the rock display better.

Let me know if you have any other questions and thanks for all your compliments!