Under a moonlit sky, the Milky Way casts fabled Mesa Arch under a different light.

I would have loved to describe the solitude of having Mesa Arch all to myself at night but with my luck decided to shoot it at the same time a night photography workshop was being conducted.  I was made aware of this fact first by seeing two sprinter vans in the parking lot at 2:00 am, then second by the curt “turn off your headlamp please” incantations by voices in the dark.  I personally find photography workshops to be artistically restrictive and would never participate in one, but really have no problems with them as long as the leaders and participants are respectful of nature and other people who decide to share the scene.  In fact I have met incredibly talented photographers and had great conversations with workshop participants including those on this night, and was happy to find myself a good angle from which to shoot despite not being the first one there.  At least it wasn’t quite the madhouse seen at sunrise (that would come later).

In all reality the people surrounding me faded into obscurity as the stars emerged.  In the spring months the Milky Way forms a perfect semicircle above Mesa Arch if shot from the night angle, but I was perfectly content watching the stars twinkle next to my silent companion shrub.  The beauty of the night sky is enchantingly mesmerizing, and the Milky Way coupled with the endless shooting stars and celestial bodies gracefully dancing in the night is an experience I will necessarily seek for the rest of my life.