Arizona - Sedona Photos
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After the sun sets in Sedona, the glowing westerly sky produces a warm and radiant hue on the red rock mountains that surround the area but only for a few minutes, and then it's gone. I arrived prepared and early to wait for that warm glow to appear on Cathedral Rock. There wasn’t a lot of light so I knew I’d have to use my tripod to accommodate a slow shutter speed. I framed the shot and then as darkness drew I checked my exposure settings and adjust them accordingly until finally, the glow appeared! ....and then just like that, it was gone. My patience, perseverance (it was cold!) and determination paid off, I got the prized shot I was hoping for. That said, I equate my sense of joy in photography to an Easter egg hunt and this shot was finding a huge cream filled Easter Egg (minus the calories, lol)! To my naked eye, the sky was black and the shadows in the foreground were black but because of my 5 second exposure (with my Sony a7r iv camera) I able to capture that which I couldn’t see; the result of which you see here. Things I like about this photograph include; the STRONG composition, the subtle colors (or lack thereof), the contrast, the (visible) details in the cliffs (which are almost impossible to see during the bright daylight hours) and how the darkness on the bottom Cathedral rock and the bright of the sky frame this iconic Sedona mountain. This is definitely one of my favorite!
Oh my gosh! Split second decisions can be the best; this photo was the result of 2 last minute decisions! As I drove a long a busy freeway, I noticed some nasty weather in a secluded desert valley to my east. From a photographer’s standpoint, the “weather” was absolutely amazing! Big and puffy storm clouds draped over snow capped mountains, while the sunlight made its way, here and there, to the valley floor. It was so beautiful, I decided to head into the storm. As I drove, I couldn’t help but notice the many remarkable scenes; so much so that when I exited the valley I considered turning around and driving back through it! Upon further consideration however, I decided to go to Sedona (only an hour away); knowing the inclement weather on the red rocks of Sedona would be spectacular, and it was! I arrived in Sedona with only minutes to spare before sundown(!). Fortunately however I knew exactly where to go to get this epic shot of Sedona’s most iconic mountain, “Cathedral Rock”. Although I already have a few photographs of Cathedral Rock, none are this dramatic. Cathedral Rock is just one of the many sandstone buttes that surround the city of Sedona, Arizona. The towering Red Rock Mountains of Sedona are world famous and attracts over 3 million visitors every year. Cathedral Rock is one of the most-photographed landmarks in Sedona, and of Arizona too. Typically, those who fly into Phoenix, with plans to visit The Grand Canyon, will take the short detour into Sedona. The south rim of the Grand Canyon is 2 hours north of Sedona.
Sedona, Arizona Sometimes, luck plays a major component of capturing that “spectacular photo" and this is one such a photo! "Luck" was definitely with me on this day; not only did Boynton Canyon (Sedona) receive snow, on this day (that I happened to be hiking), but my timing and perspective was spot on! That said though, I had to lie down on a red, sloppy, mud covered hillside to get this shot but it was SO worth it! I love the dark foreground; it anchors the photograph. I also love the weight of the clouds and the hints of blue sky. Notice that the mountain tops are defined by the dark clouds, yet another “lucky me”. The Enchantment Resort is nestled in these Sedona’s mountains, hence this photographs name.
This image was as I saw it however in order to expose it properly I had to combine two identical photographs. One was exposed for the tree and the other one for Cathedral Rock. I found this location earlier in the day, and then returned during the golden hour. Timing (as always) was everything here, as was the planning and executing of it!
This shot was taken from the upper, west side of Lizard head trail and looking north towards the renowned Devil’s Bridge. Sometimes luck plays a major component of capturing that “spectacular photo", and this was one such a photo! "Luck" was definitely with me on this day; not only did Sedona receive snow, on the day I happened to be hiking, but my timing and perspective was spot on! The view was stellar and I knew it was rare; lucky me! I love the dark foreground; it anchors the photograph. I also love the variety of colors; blue, orange, yellow and green; stunning. This shot is (most definitely) one of my many favorites.
This location is often used for weddings and as luck should have it, a small wedding was taking place as I was shooting this photo. They stood slightly left of this photo but close enough for me to hear them share their loving and touching vows....as I stood in the red mud with tears in my eyes :-) Years ago I owned and operated a photo lab and when the snowbirds came back with their rolls of film, their photos were often red; red foregrounds, red roads, and red mountains too. Well, my assistants Donna, Sharon and I thought that this just couldn't be, so we tried to fix them but then we'd ruin the other colors! At the time, this was quite the dilemma (lol). Fast forward to 2013, when I visited Sedona for the first time, and to my surprise, everything was red! So, you may be wondering what that story has to do with this photo? Well, there's actually another puddle directly behind this one and in order to get this shot, I had to stand in the puddle AND the red/clay mud. I should have taken a photo of my hiking boots! LOL
This photograph of Cathedral Rock took some planning. A couple years back, we drove along the base of Cathedral Rock, in search of the perfect spot to photograph this regal mountain. When we arrived, I knew with the setting sun, that the mountain's vibrancy and clarity would only last minutes. I scurried up a gravel covered hillside to my pre-planned vantage point. I didn’t look back; I had one thing in mind; get I high as I could, as quickly as you I could! Cathedral Rock is just one of the many sandstone buttes that surround the city of Sedona, Arizona. The towering Red Rock Mountains of Sedona are world famous and attracts over 3 million visitors every year. Cathedral Rock is one of the most-photographed landmarks in Sedona, and of Arizona too. Typically, those who fly into Phoenix, with plans to visit The Grand Canyon, will take the short detour into Sedona. The south rim of the Grand Canyon is 2 hours north of Sedona.
How lucky to be there when the moon appeared! Once I stopped to take a photo, so to did many others :-)
This Roman Catholic chapel is built into the buttes of Sedona, Arizona thanks to a local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude. It was Frank Floyd Wright's son Lloyd however who constructed it . It too 18 months to build at a cost of 300 thousand US dollars. It was built in 1956. Arizonans voted the Chapel to be one of the Seven man-made wonders of Arizona. Now a tourist destination, it receives over 2 million visitors a year.
Sedona, Arizona. Pictured are: Coffee Pot, Sugar Loaf, Soldier's Pass, Thunderhead and Wilson Mountains. This photo was taken at the base of Chimney Rock just as the morning sun appeared.
One late fall afternoon in Sedona, I noticed some strange cloud formations begin to roll in and wondered if they’d stick around and lead to yet another one of Arizona’s famous sunsets. In anticipation, I grabbed my camera, my 200-600mm len and got everything set and ready to go on my tripod, just in case. Sure enough, as the sun began to sink behind the Misgus mountain range those clouds came alive with colour. "Wow" I enthusiastically thought, "The entire sky is filled with colour". I took a few shots before I reviewing them and in so doing I noticed that the colours were not true to what I saw; obviously my camera was auto correcting the colour. What I saw behind the clouds was the brilliant blue sky however because I had my camera set to auto white balance, that sky was yellow. Quickly, before the sun sank, I flipped through the colour balance choices until of found the one that was true in colour and I immediately gave a mental thanks to the gentleman whom years ago that taught me that. I continued then to snap quite a few more, until I thought I had what I wanted and I packed everything up. A few moments later however I looked again and the sky was even more magnificent so I again set everything up and shot a few more, until I thought I had what I wanted and I packed everything up. Wouldn’t you know it, a few moments later I repeated the entire process but it was so worth the effort! "Captivating", as I named this photo, was one of my last photos I took and I chose it as my favourite because of the range in colours and densities throughout the entire photograph. While travelling, I’ve witnessed a number of sunsets however none have been as spectacular, nor as frequent, as those I’ve seen in Arizona.
