One Silent Night (Patreon)

The holiday message I want to share with you has its beginnings clear back in the winter of 1853-1854 when the western explorer, John C. Fremont, on his 5th expedition discovered these sandstone spires in what is now known as the Upper Cathedral Valley of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. The feature image in this story is an engraving from the photographic daguerreotype that expedition photographer, Solomon Nunes Carvalho, made on that snowy January 1854. Heavy equipment and frigid weather made the unique photo chemical processing very difficult. Shortly after taking his photograph, the company nearly died of scurvy, starvation and frostbite. Months later, they were rescued by pioneer settlers in Parowan, Utah.

It wasn't until 1991 that Capitol Reef park officials were able to identify this old engraving with spires that local pioneers and ranchers affectionately call "Mom, Pop and Henry." Earlier this year, I spent five days traveling into this rugged and remote area to take the first astro-landscape ("nightscape") photo of the natural obelisks (as far as I can tell, no one else has ever photographed this location at night). The spires are aligned between the Cygnus region and the Milky Way galactic core. The tallest spire is about 234 feet high (71 m.), about 4.5 times taller than Utah’s iconic Delicate Arch.

As difficult as it was for me to reach and photograph these spires, my challenges pale to those of the Fremont party. The peaceful current photo and the historic etching, from Carvalho’s daguerreotype, do not show the problems and struggles behind the family “portraits” of these impressive spires.

We are often unaware of the disappointments and challenges of others. Their apparent Silent Night may appear calm to us, but actually have unseen life altering circumstances.

My wish to you, this holiday season, is the strength to overcome hardships and find answers to difficulties you face in your family and personal life.

Sincerely yours,

Royce

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TECHNIQUE & EXIF: Canon 6D + 24mm f/1.4 • f/2.8, 15 seconds, ISO 8000 (15 exposures stacked in Starry Landscape Stacker). Spires subtly lit with Low Level Lighting during all 15 stacked exposures.