When you round the bend and first glimpse the awesome spectacle of the red rock formations at Sedona, the immediate impulse is to stop the car and start taking photographs. I soon realized however that the beautiful view just goes on an on, and the rock formations look so different from other points of view. We only have 1 day and night to spend here, but I can see that it deserves more time than that. There are so many trails and scenic drives that it would take many days(or weeks) to see them all.
One thing I have seen enough of is t-shirt and tacky souvenir shops. How do they all manage to stay in business?
Tags: Sedona Canyon AZ Arizona National Forest red rock formations 0265 2066 2067 HDR Photomatix tonemapped 100+views cloudy day
We awoke to overcast skies this morning which I didn't mind as I thought they would contribute some cloudy drama to the photographs. As we were heading out of the park on Red Rock Scenic Highway 179 the skies opened up in a torrential downfall; and I insisted on my husband pulling out at each vista point so I could capture the drama. He handed me his wide brim hat and stayed in the car. it was raining quite heavily at this point, but somehow I managed to keep the drops off of the lens.
It's a beautiful place rain or shine, but I was constantly frustrated trying to compose an image that didn't include too many homes - they're everywhere ! I hope the local planners have effective controls in place to keep the developments from creeping right up onto the rocks. That would spoil the area.
Tags: 9505 tonemapped HDR Photomatix Sedona AZ Arizona red rock canyon storm stormy day
The drive out of Sedona on Highway 179 and Highway 17 back to Phoenix is quite beautiful, descending from ~4,500 ft elevation to 1,000 feet in a relatively short span. The storm clouds made for some interesting skies as well as changing patterns of light and shadow on the desert floor. This is a TTW (through the window) shot as I just couldn't convince the driver to stop anywhere else....
Tags: Highway 17 Arizona plateau storm stormy 9507 desert mountains virga clouds cloudy cloudscape 100+views day
A moody, magnificent day in Sedona. My husband was grousing about the overcast skies, but I loved it ! This would have been a pretty, but far less dramatic scene with clear skies. Heavy rainfall followed soon - I was hoping for some lightning too, but that didn't happen.
Though we didn't stay long enough to experience the legendary spiritual side of Sedona, we were definitely seduced by the many magical vistas that present themselves around every bend in the road.
We took the Red Rock Canyon loop and saw only one other vehicle the entire time, though there are many homes out in the canyon.
I would love to have more time to explore this area, as you need to get off the beaten path and away from the developed areas in order to truly appreciate the stunning beauty of this place.
Tags: Sedona Arizona AZ Red Rock Canyon Loop Storm Stormy Clouds rays 9438 9439 9440 HDR Photomatix tonemapped 100+views day regionwide
Members of the Scottsdale Artist's League were scattered throughout the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix on the day we visited. This artist at work with her jaunty red sunhat made for such a pleasing composition that I decided to embellish her with a bit of Photoshop Artistic Palette treatment for a more "painterly" effect. She was so focused on her work that she didn't notice the nearby photographer focused on her....
And I'm pretty sure this was the most "green" that we saw during our entire visit to Arizona (except for the grass at Scottsdale Stadium).
Tags: 0182 Desert Botanical Garden DBG Phoenix Scottsdale AZ Arizona artist Artists League painter easel watercolor PS Elements palette knife artistic painting red hat lady