Canyon de Chelly

We recently went on a short weekend trip to Canyon de Chelly in Arizona (with a side trip that I'll have to write about another time).   Canyon de Chelly, located in the Four Corners area of the southwest, is considered to be the spiritual home of the Navajo Nation.  It is an area rich in history and populated by a people proud of their heritage.

The park itself consists of two scenic drives: the North Rim drive that skirts del Muerto Canyon and the South Rim drive that roughly follows the rim of Canyon de Chelly, with access to the floor of the canyon being limited to guided tours only.    

Both drives were scenic, with dramatic vistas to be seen at each pullout.  We began the North Rim drive early in the afternoon so the sun was still high in the sky and the light was harsh, but by the time we drove the South Rim route the sun was starting to fade to the west and the photographic opportunities improved.  This first shot, of a rock seemingly balanced, was taken at Junction Overlook.

While still walking around Junction Overlook I saw this tree.  Noticing the position of the sun, I thought that trying to place a starburst directly over the tree would make an interesting composition.  After taking a few shots I decided to go with a wider angle, and got down on one knee to get the tree's shadow in frame as well...

The last stop on the South Rim drive is the Spider Rock Overlook.  The sun was setting to our back, a late afternoon storm was brewing in front of us, and this old tree caught my eye, so I decided to incorporate it into the scene.

While at Spider Rock Overlook I tried numerous different compositions.  In this one I moved a little to the right, focused closer on the far rim of the canyon, and emphasized the drama in the sky.

The morning before we drove back to Santa Fe, we headed up the South Rim route again to catch the sunrise.  First we went back to the Spider Rock Overlook, and while it was a beautiful morning we mis-timed the sunrise, arriving a little late, and I wasn't able to get any photos I was satisfied with.  We then doubled back to Face Rock Overlook, and I was able to capture the glow of the morning sun on the canyon walls...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX

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