Wise Men Still Seek Him

Light painted Three Sisters Hoodoos with Milky Way, in Goblin Valley ~ © Royce Bair

Three Wise Men (aka The Three Sisters) in Goblin Valley: Before we found out these three hoodoos had been named the Three Sisters, my friend, Steve Bunderson, and I had affectionately called them the "Three Wise Men".

Star of Bethlehem: To celebrate this Christmas day, I decided to add a star from "the east" to this NightScape, and complete a desire I've had to build on my own version of this ancient, but true story. Everything is real in this starry night sky. Even "the" star is real (albeit with a little help from StarSpikes Pro 3 filter for Photoshop), it's just in the wrong place. It's the "Morning Star", Venus; and I have misplaced it in the northeastern night sky over the Andromeda Galaxy to simulate the "star in the east" that appeared over two millennia ago.

Technical Stuff: The 3-Sisters are about 80 feet (24 m.) high, and were light-painted with a hand-held 1-million candle power quartz-halogen spotlight, from a distance of about 250 feet to the left (more info here). This was a single exposure, using a 14mm f/2.8 Rokinon lens on a Canon 5D Mk3 (f/2.8 • 30" • ISO 5000).

Appearance of the Star: Have you ever wondered what caused that "star in the east" to appear at just the right time to lead the wise men to the Christ child? What caused it to be placed in its exact orbit in order for it to shine many light years later at that precise moment in time?

"The same God that placed that star in a precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well." (That My Family Should Partake, p. 86, by Neal A. Maxwell.)

Holy Bible: Matthew Chapter 2:  1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,  2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.  9. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.  10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  11. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Royce's 2014 Workshop, Lecture & Video Conference Schedule: NightScapeEvents.com
Featured Post: Shooting Stars eBook Review — How to Photograph the Stars and the Moon

Night Photography Challenges in Monument Valley

Milky Way over Three Sisters, Monument Valley ~ © Royce Bair
Canon 5DMk3 • Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 • f/2.0, 13 sec, ISO 5000

The biggest challenge to night photography in the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is access. Once you leave the park, you need to have a registered guide to re-enter the park after sunset. The average guide fee was $100 to $150 per hour. Most required a three-hour minimum.

The best way to photograph the popular Mittens (East and West Mitten) without a guide, is to stay at the tribal owned and operated The View hotel. The rooms are first-class and you can even get a great shot right from your terrace! You'll want to book early, though. More than 80% of the guests are from outside the United States, and they come at all seasons of the year.

The accommodations and view from The View are first-class. This sunrise was taken
only a few hundred feet from my room. The top, right photo was from my terrace.

Light Pollution and Light Painting: Although there is very little light pollution in this remote region, you will need to walk a few hundred feet away from the hotel to avoid the light from the hotel's outdoor parking lights. Light painting is limited in some areas of the valley below the hotel because there are actually native people who live there; and this can be disturbing to them, unless they are notified ahead of time, permission is granted, and a gratuity is paid.

Not-so-bright Milky Way: You'll notice that the Milky Way in the above photo is not as bright as you may have seen in many of my photos. That's because the brightest portion, the Central Bulge, dips below the horizon from mid to late Fall, and doesn't return until mid to late Spring (the "Bulge" is currently on display in the Southern Hemisphere).


Royce's 2014 Workshop, Lecture & Video Conference Schedule: NightScapeEvents.com
Featured Post: Shooting Stars eBook Review — How to Photograph the Stars and the Moon