2017-11-07 Travel Tuesday, Sedona AZ

Sedona has long been a favorite place for my wife and I to visit. During the most rescent excursion, during this past October, I was able to convince Heidi to get up very early and join me at one of the lookout points on Schnebly Hill Road. It was the only morning there was any significant cloud cover, so I was very happy to be shooting.

This is a little while after sunrise. You can see the mountain in the back is fully illuminated on the right side (the Sun is behind my right shoulder) and the closer Red Rock edifice is still in shadow. I felt it made for a nice composition and explored the nuance of the early morning Sun.

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Nikon D800E Sigma Art 135mm f/1.8 @ 1/160 sec f/6.3 ISO 100

May 2015 Desktop Calendar

Feels like forever since I've written, and I'm sorry about that. I'll try to stay more current in the upcoming months. Your May calendar photo is from trip my wife and I took to Sedona AZ last year. It seems there are beautiful vistas everywhere in Sedona, so capturing a wonder like this isn't to hard. We were right off the road obviously.
You can download the high resolution version here: May 2015

Sedona AZ

#TravelTuesday Sedona, AZ

My wife texted me the other morning informing me that it was colder in Sedona, Arizona than it was here in Pennsylvania. A smile widened across my face. Not because I dislike the people of Arizona, but because it was evident that our time in Sedona was just as precious to her, as it was to me. We’ve been there twice, and it’s on my list of places I could retire to someday. The people are friendly and they’re enlightened as to how precious their surroundings are. It’s the kind of place where you can really feel the Earth’s majesty. Miraculous views are abundant and ever changing. It’s a place to appreciate how small we are and how astounding nature can be. The picture is from a balloon ride we took on our second visit. Breathtaking. We'll be going back.

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Nikon D4 Sigma 70-200mmf/2.8 @150mm f/8 ISO250 1/200 sec

#TravelTuesday Sunset Point, Sedona, Arizona

I’ve spent the past few weeks sharing pictures of our trip last Thanksgiving to Sedona Arizona. Its landscape is both beautiful and exotic. These pictures were taken from “Sunset Point” which is located atop one of the hills close to the center of town. The tiny airport that serves the city was directly behind me where I took the pictures. This rest area, having such a romantic name, is populated with many onlookers as the sun declines. Elbowing tourists, protecting my position, and keeping an eye on my gear can be tricky, and I hate doing it, so... luckily for me, before the sun comes up, the area is pretty much vacant. The first picture was taken pre dawn. The sun would eventually rise behind my right shoulder and slowly bath the red rocks in the distance and creep down into the valley, and yet another day would begin in Sedona.

Nikon D800 Tamron 16-24mm f/2.8 @ 20mm f/9 ISO 100 1/15 sec

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 48mm f/9 ISO 100 1/40 sec

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28mm f/9 ISO 100 1/200 sec

A Different View

When you make the trip to Sedona, I highly recommend seeing it by balloon. Neither my wife nor I have ever ridden in a hot air balloon so we were a little apprehensive about what to expect. Turns out it was a few hours of breathtaking views and crisp morning air, absolutely delightful. We used Red Rock Balloons and they were professional, safe and hospitable. Looking up at the giant red rocks of Sedona gives you an indelible feeling of grandeur and power. The view from the air, eye level with the giants, allows a glimpse into nooks and intricacies etched into the stones from all angles, revealing facets unable to be seen from below. I recommended hiking the area a few days ago, which immerses you in the canyons. In a balloon the expanse of miles of the landscape rolls on and on. Hopefully the pictures can express what I saw since my words fall short.

My wife eagerly watching the balloon inflate

In the air watching the others

Amazing power of sunlight

The skill of our balloonist was impressive, we climbed up and gradually descended artfully.  

Just after dawn was the perfect time to be in the air.

Quite a few balloons were in our view, but they just enhanced and gave scale to the vistas

In the early morning rays of the sun our beautiful country certainly showed its wonder

That's us :)

From the depths of the canyons to the plateau to the mountains in the distance

Pictures taken on the NIkon D800 and D4 using Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6, Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 and Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses.