Night at the Alien Throne

Bisti Badlands, New Mexico

This photograph was made during the same early expedition that produced my original Alien Throne masterwork. The scene was illuminated by a full moon, which is why the landscape appears unusually bright and the shadows are deep and dramatic.

At the time, I was still very early in my photography journey. I didn’t know if I would ever see this formation again. The Bisti Badlands felt distant and difficult to access, and this trip carried a sense of urgency. I wanted to leave with something meaningful and make the most out of what may be my only photography trip of my life.

Later, under a new moon, I photographed the Milky Way and composited it into the scene in its correct position. By today’s standards, I work much harder to capture sky and foreground on the same night whenever compositing is involved, or preferably in a single exposure. But at that point in my journey, I was working with the understanding and access I had at the time.

This image represents that mindset. Doing everything possible to bring home what the place felt like, even if the process was still evolving.

Context and Landscape

The Bisti Badlands are a maze of eroded stone, fragile hoodoos, and open desert that feels otherworldly even in daylight. At night, under moonlight, the formations take on sharp contrast and long shadows that exaggerate their shapes and scale.

The Alien Throne is one of the most striking formations in the area, rising abruptly from the surrounding terrain. Over the years, it has become one of my favorite places to return to whenever I’m traveling west. What once felt like a once-in-a-lifetime stop has become familiar ground.

That shift didn’t exist when this image was made. This photograph comes from a time when everything here still felt uncertain, both the place and my future within it.

Creation Notes

The foreground was photographed under a full moon, using the natural light to reveal texture and form without artificial illumination. The Milky Way was captured separately under a new moon and later composited into its proper alignment in the sky.

Both elements were photographed intentionally to maintain scale, orientation, and realism. The Milky Way was processed conservatively, avoiding exaggerated contrast or color, with the goal of preserving a natural appearance.

While my approach to night photography has continued to evolve toward more authenticity, this image remains one of my favorite night photographs from one of my favorite places, and an honest reflection of where I was creatively at the time.