About two weeks before our trip, we had planned a couple days in Taos and also along a lake in New Mexico for one night. As there was not much else around that lake for Ms. K to check out I started to think another location for a night was in order. I noticed that between Taos and the Painted Desert that we were planning to visit there was Canyon de Chelly National Monument. A little research and I was quickly changing around our planned route and stays and included one night here.
Boy was I so very happy we did this. What a grand location this park is and the lands around it ... as well as the local Navajo Indians that we met there.
For sunrise as I was heading out in the dark, there was one major thunderstorm going on even there in the morning. I hiked out to one of the many canyon overlooks there and set my exposure for 30 seconds at the higher ISO in order to get some lightning captures.
The alignment of the near full moon lighting the canyon (the moon was to my back here and in clearer skies) helped as well. A fine alignment of light, storm, and scenery for me to have some fun in. It was also lucky that this storm was moving away from this location as the sunrise continued.
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at Canyon de Chelly. Some final rays of sunlight bathe the canyon walls on this magnificent view in eastern Arizona.
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Another wider view of Canyon de Chelly under the stormy conditions that I had there. Quite neat to be there with this happening just before sunrise. Not long after the storm continued to move away allowing for more sunlight and colors.
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Morning lightning storm at Canyon de Chelly in eastern Arizona. This is version One of the B&W. Here I played with the white balance warming the light then converting to B&W. It kept more definition in the clouds, but less contrast on the rocks in the canyon.
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A near full moon over the canyon there in Arizona. Quite the view as the end of day light in the west is still bathing the canyon walls as a glow, with the moon up in the sky ready to take over as night settles in.
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