SUNRISE OVER THE CHISOS MOUNTAINS
Big Bend NP, Southern TX
SUNRISE CHISOS MOUNTAINS
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF SUNRISE OVER THE CHISOS MOUNTAINS
One of the impetuses to getting up at 5AM in the dark and driving to a photo location is that it is like a box of chocolates – you don’t know what (light) you will get. On those rare occasions you may be blown away, as in this case. What started as a blue hour photo graduated into this multi-color display over the Chihuahuan Desert and the Chisos Mountains as the sun peaked above the horizon.
The Chisos Mountains have been described as sky islands surrounded by desert. The 40 square mile mountain range is entirely contained within Big Bend National Park and formed during volcanic eruptions between 38 and 32 million years ago. A 7-mile long paved road climbs into the Chisos Mountains Basin, a circular valley ringed by craggy peaks.
The National Park is 1100 square miles and contains mountain ranges, desert plains and river habitats. The Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River forms the southern boundary of the park and the border between the United States and Mexico.
Images and location summary by Deb Snelson
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DATA POINTS INCLUDED WITH SUNRISE OVER THE CHISOS MOUNTAINS SUMMARY
There is a roadside pullover just big enough for 2-3 vehicles, with a slab of concrete leading into the desert. The Trail from the park road into the desert is short (0.1 mi), easy and flat. The trail will make a 90-degree turn to the left to the gravesite of Nina Marie Seawell Hannold, an early pioneering woman who, with her husband, built a ranch on this site in 1908. While the gravesite can be used as an interesting foreground, at any point you should start searching for the most appealing foreground for your photo.
To capture a photograph like this, remember this compositional tenet – foreground, midground, background. In the photo above all three of these components are stars. The best shot is at sunrise but arrive much earlier to scout out the best foreground with leading lines (such as the animal paths) to the mountains and healthy cacti. For me, I was capturing blue hour when the sky began to transform into multicolor patterns that continually changed and enlarged. When the sun peaked over the horizon it lit up the mountains and the foreground completing the best photo of the session – color in the sky (background), light on the mountains (midground) and light on the desert with the best foreground I could find.
For this location I used a wide angle lens to capture all of the Chisos Mountains but since I shot this at 29mm, mid range lenses from 24 - 105 will also work. Panorama photos also produce stunning results.
The above image was taken a 29 mm.
3,125 Ft. Elevation
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KMZ Trail File
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Best Time of Day to Shoot
Best Time of Year to Shoot
Equipment Needed
Permits Required
Direction of Shot
Google Maps Birds-Eye-View
Number of Photographers to Expect
Cell Service
Overnight Lodging/Camping
Nearby Restaurants
Area Guides and Workshops
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LOCATION SUMMARIES WRITTEN BY PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
