There is something special about the Colorado National Monument. One moment, you're driving past subdivisions and mansions on the hill, and then suddenly, you're out in the wilderness, climbing up switchbacks, surrounded by red rocks and juniper trees. The section of the road in this photo is where that transition takes place.
I spent several hours perched on the edge of a substantial drop, waiting for a time when enough cars were driving in both directions to create a "river" of light to paint the pavement. As I'm gathering preliminary shots, the full moon begins to rise, giant and pink on the horizon. Luckily for me, it's at that time when vehicles pour out onto this stretch of the road. The stars and cars aligned.
My shutter speed was set to "TIME" on my Nikon, so it was up to me to choose when to deactivate the camera with my remote control shutter release. I considered replacing the sky with another shot of the moon and stars where they would sit statically, but I decided I liked the movement of the celestial bodies. It creates a little more for the eye to look at in the sky, which is otherwise the least engaging section of the image.
I am particularly taken with the pink hues in the shadows. It is unusual to capture these so vividly at night prior to post-processing. Another detail I'm proud of is the little sunburst hidden in the stream of light. Zoom in. You'll find it.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor