The Bisti Badlands are a remote and alien world in northwest New Mexico located in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, protected by the Bureau of Land Management.
Unlike more developed national parks, the Bisti Badlands are largely untouched and offer a sense of solitude. There are no marked trails or facilities, so visitors must navigate the land carefully so as not to get lost in this maze of hoodoos.
Backpacking into the middle of the area, I set up a tripod and started light painting. Requiring a fifteen second exposure and precise painting with my headlamp, getting this lit evenly was a daunting task. Next time I’ll bring a flash.
The Bisti Badlands are a remote and alien world in northwest New Mexico located in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, protected by the Bureau of Land Management.
The name comes from the Dinë (Navajo) word “Bistahi” translating roughly to “among the adobe formations”. The wind-formed hoodoos in this region are numerous leading to bizarre formations, varied colors, and precariously balanced rocks.
Backpacking into the desolate desert the previous night, a place where no trail exits, I woke up early the next morning to capture the morning light. This land lives beautiful isolation, undisturbed, as the elements continue their magnificent sculpting each day.
The Bisti Badlands are a remote and alien world in northwest New Mexico situated in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, an area protected by the Bureau of Land Management.
The name comes from the Dinë (Navajo) word “Bistahi” translating roughly to “among the adobe formations”. The wind-formed hoodoos in this region are numerous leading to bizarre formations, varied colors, and precariously balanced rocks. The area doubles as a designated dark sky territory providing an unpolluted night sky.
This was my second time visiting this desolate world, and this time I backpacked in at sunset and spent the entire night photographing around camp, using my headlamp to paint the rocks. Finally, late into the night, the Milky Way became visible with the naked eye, and this silhouette of the landscape perfectly framed our beautiful galaxy. It was a stunning sight.
Located outside of Shiprock, New Mexico, the eponymous monolith is known by the Diné as Tsé Bit'a'í, which translates roughly to "Rock with Wings." The sacred site is a significant landmark to the Diné people, and approaching beyond a certain distance is off-limits to non-Diné travelers.
Tsé Bit'a'í is believed to be the remnant of a giant bird that played a crucial role in the creation story of the Diné. The formation, a volcanic neck, rises about 1,583 feet (482 meters) above the surrounding desert and is often considered one of the most iconic geological features in the region.
Upon approach, its gargantuan size becomes apparent, and one is left awestruck. There is no grand entrance, no signs of tourism, just the monolith towering over the surrounding land. A single car drove past, revealing a strange notion of time and space.
The Bisti Badlands are a remote and alien world in northwest New Mexico located in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, protected by the Bureau of Land Management.
Unlike more developed national parks, the Bisti Badlands are largely untouched and offer a sense of solitude. There are no marked trails or facilities, so visitors must navigate the land carefully so as not to get lost in this maze of hoodoos.
Backpacking into the middle of the area, I set up a tripod and started light painting. Requiring a fifteen second exposure and precise painting with my headlamp, getting this lit evenly was a daunting task. Next time I’ll bring a flash.