Arizona

Do you have a favorite location you like to photograph or collect specimens? Share these locations with your fellow members by submitting each location as a topic.

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Mike B in OKlahoma
Posts: 1048
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:32 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

Arizona

Post by Mike B in OKlahoma »

One of my favorite places to shoot was Canyon de Chelly National Monument. This is Spider Rock (named after the Indian demigoddess the Spider Woman, no particular macro opportunities for arachnids there!), which is 800 feet tall. Doesn't look it here, though!

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The other "feature attraction" at Canyon De Chelly is the White House (an Indian cliff dwelling from around 1200 AD or so, not where George W. Bush lives). Note the big SUV in the lower right corner to get an idea of scale here.

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Here's a closer view of the White House:

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I spent a sunset and the following morning at Monument Valley, where many of John Wayne's movies were filmed. It was also used as the model for the background in the "Road Runner and Coyote" cartoons of my youth! :-) Weather conditions were hideous for photography--No clouds except for a clot that blocked the golden hour light after sunrise, plus high winds that raised lots of dust. But here I am enjoying it anyway (I never photograph well, I was having a blast here, even though I look like I'm being tortured....

Image

I also got some nice shots at the Petrified Forest, and at another Indian Pueblo. I'll post some of those later in the appropriate forum.
Mike Broderick
Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Constructive critiques of my pictures, and reposts in this forum for purposes of critique are welcome

"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul....My mandate includes weird bugs."
--Calvin

LisaG
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 6:40 pm

Arizona

Post by LisaG »

Mike, these pictures are beautiful!!!! 8) I love the close-up of the white house. Is that you in the bottom one?

Lisa

Mike B in OKlahoma
Posts: 1048
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:32 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

Post by Mike B in OKlahoma »

Hi Lisa, yes, the guy who looks so "happy" in the Monument Valley shot is me!
Mike Broderick
Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Constructive critiques of my pictures, and reposts in this forum for purposes of critique are welcome

"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul....My mandate includes weird bugs."
--Calvin

Ken Ramos
Posts: 7208
Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:12 pm
Location: lat=35.4005&lon=-81.9841

Post by Ken Ramos »

The incrediable magnitude of these formations always astound me, the SUV appears extremely suitable for scale. Just to think that at one time in geological history, that all this was supposedly underwater, which I do not doubt but maybe other catastrophic events could have caused some of this, who knows. Anyway this images are quite astounding as they are beautiful.

Ah John Wayne, a great american icon IMHO :wink: Where have all the cowboys gone? I sure miss all those old westerns on Saturday afternoon television, riding off into the sunset after saving the pretty girls ranch from the villians. Anyone seen Randolf Scott lately? :lol:

I read about your little excursion over the hills and through the woods but I suspect grandma was indoors with her feet up where it was nice and warm. I made that same mistake many years ago when traveling back along 40 going to San Diego, NAS Mirimar. Had to detour around OK City due to ice and snow and the highway patrol had advised chains, still I somehow managed to get into some of that mess but all turned out well once I got down to Texas, well almost, longest drive through a state that I have ever had in my life, thought I would never leave Texas. Though I had never been to Arizona I sure was glad to see its stateline. :wink:

Hey, next time your out that way, Arizona, how about a trip to the meteor crater. That would be some interesting shots to see! :wink:

Tom... :roll:

MacroLuv
Posts: 1964
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:36 pm
Location: Croatia

Post by MacroLuv »

Very impressive! :D
Is that snow on the #1? Many stone layers are visible. There must be a bunch of fossils waiting to find them. :-k
The meaning of beauty is in sharing with others.

P.S.
Noticing of my "a" and "the" and other grammar
errors are welcome. :D

Mike B in OKlahoma
Posts: 1048
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:32 pm
Location: Oklahoma City

Post by Mike B in OKlahoma »

Yep, there is snow on #1 in a big way, and some snow in the background on the last photo (with me in the foreground).

The Petrified Forest, an area I also visited this trip, is covered with fossilized tree logs. There's one area I was told that it is not unusual to find vertebrate bone fossils if you hike, but it is a fairly difficult area to get into, and I wimped out and didn't go....I'll try to build up my hiking endurance and do it next time.
Mike Broderick
Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Constructive critiques of my pictures, and reposts in this forum for purposes of critique are welcome

"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul....My mandate includes weird bugs."
--Calvin

Danny
Posts: 725
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:07 pm
Location: New Zealand

Post by Danny »

Oh man, thats massive Mike. Superb shots and from here, very unique. Would love to see it M8t. Very nicely done sir. :D

Danny.
Worry about the image that comes out of the box, rather than the box itself.

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