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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Two: Travel Incongruities > Ship Rock and neighbors, Ship Rock, New Mexico, 2007
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09-NOV-2007

Ship Rock and neighbors, Ship Rock, New Mexico, 2007

Ship Rock is a rock formation rising over the high desert plains of Northwestern New Mexico. It is of great significance to the Navajo people and governed by the Navajo Nation. The Navajo homes in the foreground provide an idea of just how big Ship Rock is. This image is an example of scale incongruity, the juxtaposition of small subjects against large ones. Ship Rock itself is so large that it can be clearly seen from fifty miles away.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/500s f/5.6 at 39.4mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time09-Nov-2007 15:41:58
MakeLeica
ModelV-LUX 1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length39.4 mm
Exposure Time1/500 sec
Aperturef/5.6
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-0.33
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis29-Apr-2008 01:27
I love your interpretation, Iris -- it is indeed a strangely incongruous juxtaposition of natural wonder and human clutter. Nature is not only imposing here, it can be, as you note, very challenging to those that live in the shadow of this rock.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)29-Apr-2008 00:17
It is not only scale incongruity that I see here, but also the incongruity of the grand hand of Mother Nature juxtaposed against the "not so grand" living conditions of the Navajo nation. The harsh conditions of the desert have carved out this imposing rock, but, on the other hand, have provided many challenges for the Navajos who inhabit this region.
Phil Douglis11-Dec-2007 19:49
You do a fine job of underscoring the role of scale incongruity here, Patricia. It not only tells us how big the rock is, but how vast and empty this land is as well.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey11-Dec-2007 17:43
When I saw Ship Rock in an earlier image I had no idea of how immense it is. This photo does indeed take one's breath away...and it is all because of the tiny scale of the town's buildings in the middle ground. In fact you have given us three scale incongruities here--desert plants in foreground, town in middle ground and ship Rock in background.
Phil Douglis26-Nov-2007 01:47
Thanks for seeing Hillerman country in this image, Ceci. (I kept expecting to see those Navajo cops, Leaphorn and Chee, around every bend.) Hillerman's mysteries do a brilliant job of describing this area and its people, and I wanted this image to do likewise. Glad it works for you.
Guest 25-Nov-2007 10:45
I've read some 8-9 of Tony Hillerman's novels about this area of the US, books with a lot of detail about modern-yet-ancient Navajo life in this parched, dramatic landscape. He writes of native superstition mixed with today's descendents of a proud people, of the terrible poverty of many of Ship Rock's inhabitants, of dancing spirits, of Skin Walkers, of wind and weather and the conflicts and crime that can arise in a population that has been forgotten by mainstream America. This photo perfectly captures all that I had conjured up from Hillerman's vividly descriptive words, and then some. A gorgeous and stately representation, showing so clearly how vast and dry this area is.
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