Taste of the Southwest

[antithetic]

Over the long weekend a few friends packed up the car and headed out on road trip out to Monument Valley near the Utah and Arizona border. Here are some pictures from such an amazing area.

Monument Valley:

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Not too far from Page, Arizona; off Highway 89 there is a small sign to the Horseshoe Bend Overlook.

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And one that's definitely not to be missed is Antelope Canyon. Light was definitely scarce so a tripod is pretty much mandatory.

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[Stephen Geis]

Fantastic images!

 

[grebeman]

Good to see the results of your trip, I particularly like the sculpted rock in the canyon, presumably the result of water flowing at some time in the past.

Barrie

 

[BBW]

Such a coincidence - someone else I know was just out there and now I get to see the beauty again! That Horseshoe Bend overlook shot is wonderful to see. What a country!

Absolutely love the pouring sands picture. I have to get out there. Thank you for these antithetic!

 

[phrenic]

Really cool shots...nothing like that in the Pacific Northwest!

 

[antithetic]

Many thanks for all the kind words!

 

[OzRay]

It's a fascinating area and the shots are great, but there just has to be alternative ways to shoot Antelope Canyon and even Horseshoe Bend, to avoid the sameness. It's like Ayres Rock down here (not a place I'll go to again); place your camera on this spot at sunrise or sunset and take your photo (it's apparently that bad now because of access restrictions).

I'd like to do something like put a camera on a long pole and see what sort of shots can be taken of Antelope Canyon from above ground level. I'd try the same thing at Horseshoe Bend, but in reverse (also considering the time of day).

Cheers

Ray

 

[antithetic]

The thought of the getting the same shot as others occurred to me as well. Guess that's just the nature of frequently photographed locales. I definitely plan on exploring more unique viewpoints when I get an opportunity to revisit.

Others at Horseshoe Bend had a similar idea as you suggested to mount their camera on a long pole. =]

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However, I just crawled as close to the edge as possible and hoped for the best.

 

[BBW]

Crawl is what I'd have to do!

Nice one!

 

[OzRay]

What that guy should have done is crawl to the edge and then lower the camera below the ridge line. I reckon something like a 20' pole could produce some interesting results.

Cheers

Ray

 

[grebeman]

vertigo

Oh, I didn't get a feeling of vertigo when I first looked at that shot of Horseshoe Bend, now I do

Barrie

 

[dreilly]

Nice work! I missed Horseshoe Bend on my trip through there two summers ago. Next time you are in the area, head north from Monument Valley to Valley of the Gods. It's less visited and it's BLM land. The buttes (is that the right word?) are smaller but really dramatic and you can get up close and choose your vantage point. As the BLM guy I met at the visitor's center at Vermillion Cliffs said "It's your land, dude, just enjoy it!"

 

[StudioHeraBell]

Fabulous shots.

 

[akulya]

Those are brilliant pictures,

As I see more work by talented photographers, I am sometimes suprised by the ones I end up liking best; your original set of landscapes and "rock shapes" are wonderful.

But I find myself prefering the one with the photographer and the camera on a pole in it - perhaps it's the added sense of scale; or the incongruity of it. Either way, thank you for making these images. :smile:

 

[Narnian]

Antelope Canyon is high on my list of places to get to some day. Every time I see photos from there I want to drive out there. Alas it is a wee bit too far. But one day.

Any other shots of the "sandfall"?

 

[Ray Sachs]

Just for grins, I grew up in the southwest and here are a couple of shots I took with my little Canon half frame at the age of about 12. The first one is of Canyon De Chelly, one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen - sort of like a subtler version of the Grand Canyon (which CANNOT be photographed in a way that even begins to do it justice, so I wouldn't even try, ever again). The second one is a far more representative view of what you see miles and miles and miles of in between the various beautiful spots in the southwest. Aside from the obvious technical limitations, I just saw these again for the first time in many many years and going through stuff you did as a kid is really kind of fun.

-Ray

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20889767@N05/5244163407/" title="Growing up in the SW by ramboorider1, on Flickr"> View attachment 153908 "579" height="800" alt="Growing up in the SW" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20889767@N05/5244163467/" title="Growing up in the SW (1) by ramboorider1, on Flickr"> View attachment 153909 "1073" height="800" alt="Growing up in the SW (1)" /></a>

 

[dsteady]

Ray -- I love that second one. You had a good eye at 12!