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In November of 2019, we packed the RV and went on what we referred to as, “a road trip” through Arizona and New Mexico. I had never visited New Mexico before, so I was hoping it would be yet another, “visual feast”... and it was! From Sedona we traveled east to Albuquerque, then up to Santa Fe and on to Taos before heading back west again. On our return, we headed for Monument Valley when this massively tall, heap of rock appeared in the horizon! Strangely it sat all by itself on the desert floor, in the middle of nowhere. "How strange", I thought. We slowed down to take a closer look but it wasn’t until we drove past that I observed the deep, dark gouges and the vivid colours of Monument Valley in the distance. “Oh wow, how unique and picturesque” I said, and with that, we turned around so I could take a few shots. Now one must remember, that we’re in a RV (on a two-lane highway) so turning around takes some maneuvering but in this case, it was worth it. I took this photo in “Raw” because it had the potential to be a prize photo. That said, before I start shooting, I have to decide if I want (or need) a Raw or Jpeg format photograph. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Admittedly, Jpeg is quick and it’s easy because it’s already edited by the software (although limited). There are however many reasons why I choose to shoot in Raw. Here are my primary reasons: 1) Raw gives you more editing options (in Photoshop). 2) I want the highest quality image I can get. 3) You can never destroy the original Raw photo (any edited version is duplicated and is no longer Raw version). 4) If I were to enter a competition, sometimes you need a Raw version to prove its authenticity. Church Rock, is located just off Highway 160, east of Kayenta, Arizona and sits precariously by itself. It’s a “volcanic plug”, which is a geographical formation that occurs when lava cools inside the neck (vent) of an active volcano. Now, thousands of years later, the rock and soils around the plug have eroded away, leaving "Church Rock".
On a cold February day we visited Bryce Canyon National Park, in southern Utah. This was my first visit so you can imagine my “Awe” and my excitement too! This view is facing east; towards Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We were lucky the sky was so clear on this day, and from up here we could see for miles! We live in such an amazing world, with such beauty but what I saw before me was truly, truly breath taking. I'll never forget my awe for what Mother Earth had created. I recognized how very lucky we where to be there on a sunny day and (photographically) how lucky that bits of snow still remained. Although it was very cold (-5C) and windy along the canyon's edge, as we hiked down to the bottom of the canyon where it was incredibly warm and soon we were peeling off our jackets! Although this isn't my favorite Brice Canyon photo it certainly shows its vastness.
