Hoodoos (Aka Tall Pointy Rocks)

Final shoot of the day: hoodoos.

After a discussion back at the hotel of what might be summarised in question form as "what constitutes a good landscape photograph?", off into the field again for sunset.

Personally, I find this whole area - i.e. landscapes - to be one of the hardest things to photograph even moderately well. Firstly, there's so much of it about that it's hard to find the really interesting stuff; secondly, it may only become interesting when the light is right, which itself may or may not coincide with when you happen to be visiting; and thirdly, it may still not be interesting at all if you are looking at it from the wrong spot. Tricky coves, landscapes.

Anyway, here's my best (i.e. least unsuccessful) go at taking pictures of pointy rocks. Enjoy. Or not. (Hmm, it didn't look this dark when I worked on it last night. Will try and figure out why.)

Upper Antelope Canyon, Arizona

Flood Markers, Upper Antelope Canyon, AZ

After a break for breakfast, next up was a shoot inside Upper Antelope Canyon.

For those of you unfamiliar with this location, it's most noted feature is that in one section of the slot canyon a bright beam of light shines down from the roof creating a really magical effect (e.g. as shown here and here). But before you get all excited, turns out that this effect is only seen in the summer months when the sun is at the right height in the sky. And, however you look at it, October ain't June!

Nevertheless, it's still a fascinating place with a new sight at every twist and turn. Beware, though: it's crowded, and many of the tours run there are populated with other photographers also toting tripods, cameras and bulky bags of equipment. Solitude, peace and time to ponder where the best shot will be are all in very short supply. Oh, and one other caveat: you see the two bits of wood stuck halfway up the rocks? That shows the maximum height of the last flood waters to pass through earlier this year when the flash-flood season was in full swing; please note, those branches are roughly 20 feet above the canyon floor .....

Horseshoe Bend, Page, AZ

Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River, Arizona

So after a mere 4 hours on the road we found ourselves in Page. Though it looked like we passed some interesting sights, we had to be in town by 5 pm to meet up with the rest of the party doing the same photographic course we were so there was no time to stop-off along the way to explore.

The next two days we'd be photographing in and around Page and then heading south towards the Grand Canyon. The weekend course was being instructed by Alain Briot, a landscape photographer who has lived and worked in that area for many years, ably assisted by his wife and also-artist Natalie.

Format of the course required shooting at both sunrise and sunset plus other opportunities in between, with portfolio critiques and general discussions on landscape photography held in the slots left in relatively full days.

Horseshoe Bend is a section of the Colorado river that is, unsurprisingly, horseshoe-shaped. The plan was to get there early (6 am) so we could be set up by the time dawn broke. Fortunately, although cold, there was little wind, and since we were staying but a few minutes drive from the turn-out spot where we needed to park then getting up that early wasn't too bad.

We walked a few hundred yards to the main overlook area and got to watch the light changing across the entire vista ahead of us as the sun broke cover and climbed over the horizon. Personally, I've never systematically got out of bed and stood somewhere specifically with the intent of shooting the scenery at that time of day, but I now see what they mean by the quality of the dawn light being ideal for photography. The colours are more subtle and interesting, and it's much easier to balance exposure settings to capture both the sky and the ground without blowing-out the highlights. Except for some night time shots, it was also the first time I'd used a tripod, remote release and mirror-lockup on my camera all at the same time! But it won't be the last ..... next stop, Upper Antelope Canyon, where long exposures soon become routine.

Canyon de Chelly (II)

Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelly, Arizona

After spending close to four hours exploring the valley floor, we headed back to the visitor's centre. Although we had another 250 miles to go that day in order to reach Page we decided to also drive along the upper canyon rim to see Spider Rock.

As you can see, this is an impressive sandstone spire rising roughly 800 feet from the canyon floor. Navajo legend has it that this is the home of Spider Woman who taught their tribe the secrets of weaving.

The rim trail also offers an additional perspective on the White House Ruins and other sites within the canyon.

A wonderful place that I'd love to visit again, especially in the winter when it must look spectacular with a high-desert sprinkling of snow.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument (I)

White House Ruins, Canyon de Chelly

We opted for an early start to explore the floor of the canyon. There are only two ways to do this: you either take a tour that includes a Jeep or a truck to get you in there or else hire a guide and use your own car (assuming it's got 4 WD and sufficient clearance). Since we'd rented the Jeep Liberty then we could use option (b).

The reason for the restrictions soon became clear: the canyon floor is nothing but sand, with feet of the stuff in places making it tricky to get through even with the thing in low-ratio, 4 wheel drive.

Perhaps the most iconic picture taken here was by Ansel Adams, an imposing shot of the White House Ruins. Since then, the ruins have been fenced off and stabilised but still prove to be an impressive sight.

My American history isn't that good, but this was also the location of the final battle between the Navajo and US troops (guided by Kit Carson) in 1864. Subsequently, the Navajo were forced to march several hundred miles east to Fort Sumner - the infamous Long Walk - and a great many of them died in the process.

Sedona to Chinle: Meteor Crater & Winslow

Meteor Crater, Arizona

Given the room rate, we decided to maximise our time at the Enchantment by taking a hike in the morning. The location of the property puts it at the entrance to a canyon that ends in a natural amphitheatre. Round trip is just over two miles so no great shakes, and the trail is well maintained and largely flat. The guide books claim you can see some Native American ruins but we never found out where they were, though Susan did see some wild boar for what that's worth.

Just after noon, we headed off towards Chinle where we were going to spend the night before exploring Canyon de Chelly National Monument. On the way, we passed through Winslow, of Eagles "Taking It Easy" fame, and stopped off at Meteor Crater. Overall, we had to cover some 250 miles point-to-point that afternoon so we didn't really dawdle anywhere along the way.


Quite frankly, neither place impressed. The only reason we dropped down into Winslow was in search of a decent espresso. Yes, the town had a coffee shop; no, their machine wasn't working. They claimed it broke that morning; it looked to me like it broke in 1973. Winslow itself comprised one block of anything you'd call interesting, the rest being eminently miss-able. However, at least going there was free. Meteor Crater, however, was even less interesting but it cost us $15 each to find that out! Yeah, well, I suppose you get what it says on the box: a large hole in the ground that was made by a meteor. Trust me - the picture above says it all and I just saved you the money. My pleasure.

Enchantment Resort, Arizona

Day one, we flew from SJC to Phoenix, picked up a rental car and headed towards Sedona. We had reservations for one night at the Enchantment Resort and Spa. Why only one night? Simply, price: cheapest rooms were $395. Still, it's supposed to be one of the top spa-oriented resorts you can go to and given we were planning on hiking most days on the trip then we decided to start off with a bit of luxury. Value for money? Frankly, the resort itself was fine, the spa looked wonderful but the bedroom we had was looking a bit tired for that sort of money. We ended up eating in the spa rather than the main dining room - if for no other reason than they required a coat and tie, a frankly ridiculous affectation in this day and age - but the food was very good, even allowing for the menu laying out in graphic detail how many calories you were about to consume!

On the way we did a bit of off-roading - we'd rented a Jeep Liberty after all - and headed up Schnebly Hill Road to see what it was like. Apart from being a bit bumpy, it was quite an easy drive (even just using 2wd mode) but did allow for some good views over the surrounding countryside.

Pig sculpture? In this shopping center, close to Sedona itself.

Still Alive, Still Shooting

Turns out that Internet access has been a bit patchy in the places we have been staying and that, coupled with early mornings, late nights and mucho road miles means I haven't been able to post anything for a week. Should be back to it very soon though. Meanwhile, here's a shot from lower Antelope Canyon to be going on with.

The mornings are very cold here, especially when getting up pre-dawn to shoot the sunrise. It was 45 degrees first thing Monday with a 30 mph wind when we were shooting Lake Powell. No fun, and not much to photo to boot! Antelope was great - if crowded - and looks like I have a few images to work with, Back home tomorrow.

Winter Draws On

Rainy season is early this year. Despite the fact that we've already had a few small storms passing through the area, roads here are still like skating rinks every time they get wet. And given the way people drive in Silicon Valley - well, California, really - that leads to the inevitable.

Today, Highway 17 through the Santa Cruz mountains was closed northbound for several hours to clean up an accident where a big-rig hit the concrete divider. Fortunately, I was going in the other direction but the back-up apparently went for miles. So far, I've managed to avoid getting caught in the whole sequence of mishaps that the rain has brought, but the odds are not on my side.

Given all that, combined with the forecast for more rain over the next 4 days, heading to Arizona and the high desert really doesn't sound like that bad of an idea after all! Sun, sand and a bit of outdoor exercise will be a nice antidote to the winter-rain blues.

Glorious Victory

Managed to grab a few minutes on Saturday night to watch the England vs. France semi-final in the Rugby World Cup. Thanks to an early - and very opportunistic - try, England built an early lead and stole momentum from the French attack. Despite going into the second half 6-5 behind, England defended extremely well and Wilkinson's boot finally came good and there were enough points to be had to take the game.

It will be a tough match against South Africa in the final, though. Alas, I'll be in Page, Arizona, over the weekend, therefore missing out on both the rugby and the last race in the F1 season. However, I'll record the F1 race and given we're in the wilds of Arizona I should therefore be able to steer clear of knowing the result until I get back ... if I can muster up the self control not to peek of course. And assuming no one sends me a rogue e-mail (hint, hint) crowing about how great Hamilton's performance was.

We're taking a few days break to explore around Rainbow Plateau and the Grand Canyon, including a night or two in Sedona. Over the weekend we'll be doing a photographic course at Antelope Canyon and the surrounding area, a Navajo reservation. Yup, expect to suffer through pictures of red rocks for a while, therefore!