nina050
FollowWild mustangs graze on the sparse grass and sagebrush near the volcanic monolith known as Shiprock in northwestern New Mexico. Rising 1,583 feet above the high...
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Wild mustangs graze on the sparse grass and sagebrush near the volcanic monolith known as Shiprock in northwestern New Mexico. Rising 1,583 feet above the high-desert plain, this famous natural landmark was formed during an explosive volcanic eruption over 25 million years ago and is considered sacred to the Navajo people.
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3601
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Awards
People's Choice in The road ahead Photo Challenge
People's Choice in The Road Less Travelled Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Creative Critterscapes Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Dirt Road Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Categories
mcampi
April 10, 2016
I love the way you use the road to bring us into your picture.You hit the lighting just right too. Getting the mustangs to stay was some kind of trick you have to teach me. Wow the sky even cooperated. In my mind you nailed this shot.
trainwoman
April 10, 2016
This is truly outstanding....love everything about it. The road providing a vanishing point, the mustangs , the clouds, and last but certainly not least Shiprock.
mihrt
April 15, 2016
It's moments like this that you truly appreciate when you are a photographer. Your timing couldn't have been better - the Mustangs really add to the whole composition as well as the POV you chose. I imagine it had to be quick in order to capture the Mustangs as the same time!
lizziemellis
April 20, 2016
Amazing image ..love the wild horses and the road drawing the eye to the farthest point excellent composition:-)
Bruz
April 25, 2016
I am with Glenda. TRULY OUTSTANDING. Everything in this tells an amazing story. LOVE IT.
DorisSeybold
April 26, 2016
Stunning - I love this unpaved road, the horses and the feel of timelessness
Pamelabole
April 29, 2016
Gorgeous!!! .....amazing color, light, detail.....and I love how the road leads the viewers eyes in to the photo. I wanted to rank the photo higher.....but it never gave me the chance. I hate when that happens!! ??? A winner in my book!
BLPhotography
May 13, 2016
Great shot. I lived in the 4 corners area for a lot of my life. Brings back fond memories. Thanks for sharing.
KayBrewer
September 08, 2016
Wow - you're on a roll! Congratulations - finalist in the Dirt Road contest!!!
KayBrewer
October 21, 2016
Congratulations, Nina! Finalist in Critterscape contest!
(I am, too . . . been a long dry spell!)
(I am, too . . . been a long dry spell!)
kathyk_abq
December 08, 2016
Wow! What a perfect capture of a special moment in time! Love everything about it!
Katnott
August 17, 2020
This photo is beautiful I love the depth the story , everything!
congrats on first place it's an awesome capture!
congrats on first place it's an awesome capture!
KayBrewer
August 17, 2020
Congratulations on your People's Choice win in the Road Less Traveled challenge!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo is of the iconic Shiprock, a volcanic monolith towering over 1,700 feet above the desert floor. It is located in New Mexico's extreme northwestern corner.Time
This particular photo was taken at about 4 p.m. on a mild Spring day.Lighting
Because Shiprock is exposed in every direction, it photographs well in either the morning or afternoon. Mornings are preferable as the rock nicely catches the day's first rays of the sun.Equipment
This photo was taken handheld using my Nikon D750 full frame DSLR camera with a Nikkor 28-300mm zoom lens and polarizing filter. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
I love photographing the colorful landscapes of the American southwest its wild, rugged beauty. As we were driving across the desert we were looking for a good place to pull over to photograph Shiprock in the distance, and just happened to see these wild mustangs in the foreground grazing on the meager desert grass. It was a ready-made composition!Editing
Lightroom and Photoshop were both used for a bit of exposure correction and for minor enhancement of color and clarity.In my camera bag
My current camera of choice is a Nikon D750 full frame DSLR. I usually use my Nikkor 28-300mm lens which I find to be extremely versatile in most situations. I also have a Nikkor 24-120mm lens that I use on occasion. I always have 2 64gb memory cards in my camera with a spare 32gb card in my bag as a backup, since I usually shoot in both Raw and jpg Fine. Additionally, I always carry a fully charged spare battery and battery charger, UV and polarizing filters for all lenses, a Tiffen variable ND filter, the Cokin filter system, a lightweight carbon fiber tripod, a remote release and cleaning supplies.Feedback
Landscape photographers often have the luxury of returning to a particular location at different times of the day or night (or seasons) in order to capture a particular scene under different lighting or weather conditions. However, when trying to capture a scene with wild animals there is almost always a lot of patience required and often a bit of luck as well. Desert landscapes are almost always their most beautiful either in the early morning or late afternoon during the "golden" hours. These times almost always provide the best light and help to reduce the amount of post processing that would otherwise be required to turn a good photo into a great photo.