Sipapu Bridge No. 2
by Roger Passman
Title
Sipapu Bridge No. 2
Artist
Roger Passman
Medium
Photograph - Photographic Prints/limited Edition Prints/licensing
Description
Natural Bridges, Utah's first national monument, sits high on Cedar Mesa, 6,500 feet above sea level. Intermittent streams have cut two deep canyons and three massive bridges in sandstone formed from what was once the shore of an ancient sea. The bridges have been given Hopi names however it is not known what the ancient people called them. Sipapu is the largest and most spectacular of the three bridges in the Monument. It is considered middle aged, older than Kachina but younger than Owachomo. Its rounded opening and smooth sides are mute evidence of countless floods bearing scouring rocks and sand. Sipapu means "the place of emergence," an entryway by which the Hopi believe their ancestors came into this world. Geologists measure the age of the three bridges to be from 5,000 to 7,000 years old, formed from glacier melt after the last Ice Age.
I made this image from the rim of Cedar Mesa looking toward the mountain wilderness of Bear Ears National Monument, a monument whose very existence as a national monument is now being challenged by the Trump Administration. In this view of the Sipapu Bridge the top of the bridge merges into the sandstone cliffs behind it, an interesting optical illusion for sure. In this image I added a bit of contrast to the top of the bridge for a bit more separation from the cliff behind it.
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A limited edition of 25 prints signed and numbered by the photographer are available directly from our studio. Sizes equivalent to any of the sizes offered as a print by demand through this online gallery are offered in this limited edition. These prints are only available directly from our studio gallery. Prints are delivered by US Mail rolled in a tube. For more information please contact me using the SEND PRIVATE MESSAGE option in the left sidebar of most of our online gallery pages.
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I processed the raw image file shot with a Canon 60D with an 18-55mm IS lens using Photomatix Pro 5, filters from Topaz
Uploaded
May 18th, 2017
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