February Theme: Arizona

It's time to celebrate another state centennial. Achieving statehood on February 14, 1912, Arizona was the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union. Let's celebrate the Grand Canyon State's Centennial with this month's theme: "Arizona".

Share your photos of the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, Petrified Forest National Park, Saguaro National Park, Sedona, Chiricahua National Monument, Grand Falls on the Little Colorado River, Horseshoe Bend, The Wave, White Pocket, Wigwam Motel, Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater National Monument...the list goes on & on!

I'll get us started with a few photos from a place that is very near and dear to me, the Grand Canyon.

There's nothing like shooting a beautiful location with great light and a good friend. Phillip Noll and I were standing side-by-side when Mother Nature provided this amazing light show.

One more...hope you don't mind. I photographed Ribbon Falls in March 2009 when I was the park's Artist-in-Residence. It's an amazing place that I was fortunate to have all to myself for several hours.

Now how did I know it would be Arizona??

Freakin' AWESOME shots, Adam!! How are we supposed to follow this??

Phil...Something tells me there is still a lot more to be posted. If not, then I've made a BIG mistake moving to Arizona!

Yeah, thanks Adam!
All beautiful, but #2 along with Phillip's EPA awarded shot of the same moment are both just sick!!!

Adam, those are all pretty sweet shots! Mine is from Petrified Forest National Park

White Pocket

Regarding your White Pocket photo, one word comes to mind, Scott! WICKED!!!!

Unkar Delta, Grand Canyon National Park.

Fence Point, North Rim, Grand Canyon.

Here we go again...my heart can't take the pressure of judging!!! Just crazy stuff so far.

Is there a limit to the number we may submit? Don't want to drive Jack over the edge

No limits Doug..have fun and get me some oxygen. I don't have a single AZ image to submit :-(

White House Ruin, Canyon de Chelly.

Man...talk about intimidating! Out freakin standing images folks. Guess I'll jump in with a couple. Everyone knows where this is from. It's in Arizona..not too far from Utah but AZ nonetheless.

And one more. I sat in a hotel room in Tusayn for 2 days waiting for the snow to let up enough to be able to see the Canyon. On day 3 a few hours before I had to leave to make it back to Vegas for my flight, the clouds broke at sunrise and I had one of the best hours of shooting of my life.

Wow Bill, that 2nd shot is to die for!

Kinda feel like I'm bringing a knife to a gun fight. Anyways, found this actually at mid day, some nice bounce light in South Coyote Buttes. Need to get back there, tons of stuff in there.

I think I'm glad I'm out of this one! Stunning shots so far.

Sorry to bore you guys with this shot again, but it's the best I've got. But WOW, have the shots in this thread inspired me to get out there! I agree with Phil Noll, "how are we supposed to follow this???", lol!

Again, this is sunrise at the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, about a 6 minute drive from the golf tournament starting tomorrow at TPC Scottsdale.

Here's a stretch: I stopped at the Petrified Forest gate after they were closed knowing it'd be nice and dark around me out in the NE AZ desert. I put the tripod on the cement pillar that holds the right gate up and did the now-too-common Milky Way shot. But the road! That's the road leading to the interpretive center for the Petrified Forest! How 'bout that! (I know, you can barely see it). I threw on the headlights in the last few seconds to light it up, lol. I think you can make out the paint line on the right shoulder a little.

I'm making a stink about the road because I KNOW Stan Rose is going to wail on me for another cliche MW shot, LOL!

OK, last one. I wanted to be the first to toss up the slihoutted Saguaro... I mean, it's an AZ theme, SOMEBODY'S got to do it!

OK, fine, one last post. I had just gotten my 70-200mm/2.8 in November 2010 and was driving home from work in NE Phoenix when this looney sunset lit up the city for just a few minutes. I pulled over and shot three images on auto-bracket, resting on my van door, the did and HDR merge. This is one of the peaks in the North Phoenix Mountain Preserves.

Dang, Paul. That backlit Cholla shot is a killer. I've been looking for a shot like that since my daughter and her family moved down to AZ about 8 years ago. When I head to Scottsdale for spring training next month the search will continue.

Uhhh yeah, another amazing month of images ahead!

Ear of the Wind, Monument Valley

Evening, Grand Canyon

Adam's Grand Canyon lightning puts my shots to shame, went to GC in Aug for lightning but didn't have much luck. This was from my 2008 Monsoon trip north of Carefree.

And here is a 30 minute exposure at 1am in Carefree, moon lit.

Hey Bill, that spot is incredibly easy to get to: Head north on the 101 on the east side and exit at Pima/Bell Road. Make a right on Bell and head east for about 2 miles (this is the Bell Road extension, east of the 101). At 104th St you either turn right into the housing complex, or turn left into a small dirt parking lot made for hikers and dog walkers and photographers that don;t want to hike too far, lol. Park right there and walk 100 feet into the brush and you'll see a sea of cholla. I took this on March 9th knowing the sun would rise there; it rises farther south right now but by March it'll be great. I think it popped up just a few minutes after 7am. And being the mornings are still kind of cool (high 40s/low 50s) you don't need to worry too much about rattlers.

Shoot me an email when you're in town, we can do a meetup at that spot at 6:30am or so and see if we can get a better image.

Some stunning shots so far! Here's one of my faves from AZ...

And one more for now...

How about some Antelope Canyon? Here's one of the famous sunbeams in Upper Antelope.

Another Antelope shot.

Joshua, ever since I saw the sunbeam in the slot canyon shot in the Nikon ad years ago, I've always been a sucker for it. You nailed it. Exposure and composition and being there at the right time and blocking the tourists and throwing the right amount of sand all adds up to a fave on this page for me.

Hey Paul, don't forget to mention smoothing out all the footprints in the sand!

Thanks Paul. Other than making the exposure and comp I can't take credit for everything. The Navajo guide I was with did a great job of getting me there at the right time and managing the tourist traffic. I'm definitely thankful for his help.

Good to know, I'll need to make friends with that same guide, lol!

Hey Paul, don't forget to mention smoothing out all the footprints in the sand!

Naaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh, that probably was the Clone and Patch tools...

Did someone say "Antelope"????

This one, and the one above were taken in December and I was the last person they let in the canyon that day. I had to be out at 3:30pm. The light was very different that late in the day. Much more orange and almost no hint of the cooler blues and purples. Compare this one with the one below taken in 2004 at 10:00am.

Feb. 2004 @ ~10:00am.

Cathedral Rock and Oak Creek

One of my favorites from White Pocket

Along the Apache Trail

That's it...YOU ALL WIN!!!!

Some really amazing work! Keep 'em coming!

How about a couple from The Wave?

One more...

Since Doug started the Apache Trail, here's another one.

Phillip, that last incredibly rich Antelope image with the deep blue/purple... wow, I could eat that image.

Last one, I promise!

Coyote Buttes

Hey Bill, I missed the excellent Mittens shot with East Mitten illuminated and the rest of the scene teasing us. Now THAT'S creative!

My goodness, everytime I refresh there're more great images posting... coming in like planes at O'Hare on the Sunday after Thanksgiving!

I hope we don't have any other states with centennial birthdays..this is to much! Only 2 days in and we already have 34 images.

Great work everyone! Here's another to kick in. I like Antelope beams so much, I shoot em 4 at a time.

We're hoping for 100 images this time Jack. And you thought retirement was gonna be easy

Some great images here! Makes me want to get back to AZ in Spring.

Superstition Mountains Sunset
#1

Another Antelope from the film days

# 3

Great shot of the Wahwweap Hoodoos Bob, but I think they are in Utah...

Guess.

Same Spot.

Painted Desert near Holbrook. The park hours and sunrise/sunset times are not very compatible.

Petrified Forest, taken the same cloudy day.

Grand canyon sunset looking towards the sun. The way the low light rushes through the buttes and ridges is an unbelievable sight.

Here's a couple of my faves. Upper Antelope Canyon

Monument Valley with snow

As you wish Jack Sorry I don't have much else to add to this incredible collection!

To help set the record for the most images and completely overwhelm Jack, I'll contribute a couple more. This one is Agathla Peak...

And since I don't see Grand Falls here yet...

One of my most memorable experiences in Arizona happened in January 1990 at the border unit of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. About 15 miles west of the border crossing, a small spring was bubbling up from a sandy hillside, and then ran downhill to a hollow where it created this oasis in the middle of the desert. Standing back a few feet from the water's edge, there was nothing in my field of vision to let me know there was a desert right behind me. When I did an "about-face," there was nothing in my field of vision to let me know there was this oasis behind me.

I don't know if this oasis is even there anymore.

I know this shot won't compare to many of yours. This was one week after I got my first DSLR so not bad for a newbie. Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction. And I just got Lightroom 3 weeks ago so it is one step at a time. I am not sure why the sky looks so dull when I exported it and opened it in GIMP. Any thoughts on improving it would be welcome.

Just about the time you think the images can't get any better, along comes Chikku and Aleks and Grant. Wowza! Hey Mary, it might just be jpeg compression but if you're exporting from LR3 make sure you convert to SRGB during the export process. That's about the extent of my digital knowledge but there are folks on here that are light years more advanced then I am and I'm sure they will chip in.

My very first take on horseshoe bend, I really gotta head on up there again soon. Love this spot! This is from two years ago and I've only been back once since.

Spider Rock in Canyon De Chelly. Original is sharp...post does not appear to be.
Joe Rogers

Another in Upper Antelope

Final one in Lower Antelope

Wow...there is some absolutely stunning work being shared here! Keep 'em coming!

Guess I'll toss in a couple more. First, here's my Antelope Canyon entry.

From West Fork of Oak Creek near Sedona. If you're not doing anything the last week of October or first of November this is a great spot for fall colors.

Finally, fall colors reflected in West Fork of Oak Creek.

Excellent work, Bill.

The stalk of a century plant.

Incredible imagery everyone! I can't even begin to pick a favorite. I like them all. Good luck, mods, narrowing this one down.

Amazing how fast this thread has exploded! Tons of excellent shots, and it's only the 6th! Here's one that encapsulates a lot of what I think of when I contemplate the best of Arizona: exotic plant life and wildflowers.

I dunno....looks like we may have 30 or 40 inages in this month's collage. Glad I'm not a moderator cause this is looks to be even tougher editing than NM. Say, Wyoming or Utah isn't having some kind of milestone this year are thay?

Once again, a collection of incredible photos. I'm not sure how mine will measure up, but here are a few. I'll start with Hope Arch.

Yeah, another Saguaro silhouette...This is from Gates Pass.

Moon over Saguaro

Arizona? Utah? The line is in there somewhere! I'm sure I was in Arizona when I shot this!

One more from Gates Pass. Believe it or not, this is right off the RAW...no saturation boost. Great sunset that day.

Here's an aspect of Arizona I don't think we've yet seen represented.

Jackson, cool photo of Sandra on the tongue. My friend was telling me of his trip on Nevills' boat last year.

Just northeast of Flagstaff is Wapatki National Monument which includes several Anasazi ruins.

Coyote Buttes

Scott,
That is sweet!

The collection here keeps getting bigger and better!

Coyote Buttes

Wave Dos

Here are a couple from South Coyote Buttes. Such a large area to explore with plenty to offer.

The second from SCB

Deer Creek Falls, Grand Canyon.

Matkatamiba Canyon, Grand Canyon.

Morning pastels on the Colorado River near Black Tail Canyon, Grand Canyon.

View from oak creek looking towards cathedral rock in Sedona.

Looking up at a section of the Mcdowell mountains in Scottsdale. One of my personal favorites.

Coal Mine Canyon near Tuba City

Happy Birthday, Arizona!

One more...Horseshoe Bend

My favorite swimming hole: Elve's Chasm, Grand Canyon

A little adrenaline rush, after breakfast.
It doesn't get much better than 17 days through the Grand Canyon in dories.

'Hopi Clown'

Moenave sandstone formation
N.E. Arizona

My favorite from Coyote Buttes South. Caught this with no time to spare, before the shadows climbed the tower.

We are at 82 images...I think it was 84 last month so we are on course for another record, keep em coming!!!!

Horseshoe Bend last March.

Fantastic stuff on this thread, makes my head spin!

This is Granite Rapid in the Grand.

And this is the entrance to Olo Canyon, a beautiful, but difficult to get into side canyon on the Grand. The rope being climbed on is no longer there, this is from 1988.

This is in Granite Gorge just above the last campground above Phantom Ranch in the Grand, taken in 1983.

And this was in southeastern AZ.

An eddy in the Wave

Parker Canyon in southern Arizona has many side draws lined with oak trees. After a spring snow, the morning's quiet was broken by the gobbles of Goulds turkey.

Here is one I do not think has been posted much around here. I believe this is Agatha Peak, as seen on the way toward Monument Valley.

This page is just one, "Oh, Mommy" after another!
Incredible work from everyone. I last shot Arizona in 1982! DOH! I have got to get back down there.

Bright Angel Bridge at sunset. Hand held on a raft going through a ripple so its not the sharpest.

Marble Canyon (Grand Canyon) from the Nankoweap Granaries. Another hand held grainy shot. I've really got to get back down there with real equipment!!

I hear that, Phil, real equipment and real skills would have been nice down there. Here are a couple from my days of okay equipment and okay skills.

And here's a bit of the big ditch that not too many people see: the Spencer Towers, downstream of Diamond Creek on Hualapai land.

Here is one I do not think has been posted much around here.

Until now.

'Winter Dawn at Church Rock', with Agathla Peak and Comb Ridge in the background.

Whoa, there are some awfully nice shots here, too bad there isn't much scenery here in AZ to work with (Coal Mine Canyon)

...and never any interesting photography conditions either (YouknowWhere, Hopi Reservation)

Last one...having some compression issues with this, sorry. (Coyote Buttes South)

Sorry, couldn't resist - it doesn't have to be about the colors! (Saguaro NP)

Just had to do this last one (I PROMISE!!!) - haven't seen this aspect of Arizona represented yet. Ponderosas in the San Francisco Peaks after a 52" snowfall. One of these days I'm going to learn how to do the sharpening for this web stuff!

Guess it's time to jump in with one from Sedona. Coffepot rock as seen at sunrise from the Sedona Airport.

Thanks for sharing, Rick...superb stuff.
Joe Rogers

One of the better hikes in Arizona is through West Fork of Oak Creek which is between Sedona and Flagstaff. The canyon's maples give a great display in the fall.

Another one from North Coyote Buttes

Some really amazing work in this thread. Here's one from Antelope.

I do not envy the moderators in picking the winner(s) this time. I absolutely miss living in Sedona...

Adam, that's some remarkable work overall, particularly the light and conditions at the Grand.

Rick, nice work on the Coal Mine landscapes.

John, that's a great shot of the black-and-white Moenave formation.

Phil and Jackson, it's always good to see shots from "the rest" of the Grand Canyon.

"Joshua Tree Panorama"

Part of the small corner of the Mojave desert in the Arizona Strip area. Stitched panorama.

"Granite Rapids"

Shot during a backpacking trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon along the Tonto Trail. Stitched panorama.

"Sedona Canyon Maples"

"Snowy Sunrise"

Sunrise from the South Rim, last March. Almost missed it because the shuttle busses weren't running on the Hermit route. Just made it in time. Stitched panorama.

"Lightning over Cathedral Rock"

Lightning bolt over Cathedral Rock, Oak Creek, Arizona. At the time I took this, I was living and working at the Verde Valley School -- just out of view to the right of the frame. I walked out my front door, hiked about 12 minutes to this location, and waited for the monsoon to roll over. Nice thing about digital -- I burned over 100 images hoping for a lightning bolt.

(Sorry if that's too many, Jack...)

What an amazing collection of images. I thought the mods had a problem with New Mexico....this month is gonna kill them. And there's still 10 days to go!

Late to the party (as ever), but here's a shot of Sedona's red rock with a dusting of snow.

Scott - love that shot of North Coyote Buttes. It's begging to be printed large!

And one more for variety: Tuzigoot National Monument

Lower Antelope Canyon

Sunrise at Toroweap

FINALLY something from Toroweap ! Great foreground.

Holy Moly, I go away for a few days and the reord is SMASHED....113 images and 3 days to go. Amazing shots from everyone!

The San Francisco Peaks provide a backdrop for Flagstaff.

Storm over Echo Cliffs near Marble Canyon.

Doug Beezley
Snellville, GA

Hi all, I mostly post over in Avian, but figured this was one aspect of Arizona we hadn't seen yet--a California Condor at Marble Canyon. Love all the great shots here--what an awesome collection!

Closed for submissions. Thanks for all the great images this month! I know it was a deciding factor for me to visit Az. earlier this month and I hope to post a couple images in the forum soon. Watch for new theme and cover page soon!!