# @natgeo on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/ChaChzjM-E_
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11679776-natgeo-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/1f90192768.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-08-18T16:03:52.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** National Geographic (@NatGeo) — https://gondola.cc/NatGeo

## Caption

Photo by stephenwilkes | So excited to share my latest Day to Night photograph. I am honored that it's the cover story for natgeo's “America the Beautiful” issue. This Day to Night photograph of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah is one of four I created for the September 2022 magazine.

The spectacular landscape of Bears Ears Monument is a symbol of the risk to some of the country's unique and irreplaceable places. One president preserved it at the urging of Native Americans who hold it sacred; another tried to open it to drilling and mining.

A national monument rich with archaeological sites, it includes the Citadel, once a fortified cliff dwelling, now a popular hiking spot. I took 2,092 photographs over 36 hours and selected 44 for this image. Beyond the sense of awe and beauty, there's a palpable sense of history with every step you take.

Bears Ears was one of the most challenging Day to Nights I have created. After a long day of traveling, my team and I hiked more than an hour with several hundred pounds of gear to our shoot location and set up camp for the next three days. Over the duration of our shoot, we photographed while battling steady 45-mile-an-hour winds, and we were blessed to be able to capture the sunrise, a full moon, and a rare alignment of the planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

I want to give special thanks to the incredible team natgeo, including dominiqueanneh, sadiequarrier, whitneycatherinejohnson, and emma_marris. I also want to thank our local producer, mcummingsphoto, as well as my assistants lennychristopher, ivar_bas, and moran3970, and our Navajo guide, louisdwilliams20. This photograph would not have been possible without their support. I’m looking forward to sharing more photographs from this important story, so stay tuned! 

Read the full story at the link in bio. To see more from my travels near and far, follow me stephenwilkes. 
#bearsears #monument #natgeo #daytonight #utah #americathebeautiful #photography

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## Tags

daytonight, americathebeautiful, monument, utah, bearsears, photography, natgeo

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