Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly Portfolio

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Monument Valley

Road in Monument Valley

The Three Mittens

Yebichei Rocks

Monuments and Trees

Monument and Clouds

Monuments and Clouds at Sunset

Monuments and Four Clouds

Indian Ruins

Canyon de Chelly

Canyon de Chelly in Storm Light

Canyon de Chelly Wall Patterns

Canyon de Chelly Lit Up Rock

White House Ruins Closeup

White House Ruins From Canyon Floor

Trees in Storm

Cliff and White House Ruins

Tree and White House Ruins

Rock Swirls in Canyon de Chelly

Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly

In late November of 2016 I took my first trip to Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly. I went with two photographer friends and we spent a bout a week at the two sites.

It rained the first couple of days we were in Canyon de Chelly, but on the third day we were able to get a Navajo guide to take us into the valley. I have always wanted to see the White House ruins, in Canyon de Chelly. Thee ruins were built sometime in the 1100 AD period by the Anasazi indians. They left petrogliths and pictograms on the walls of the canyon as well as the house they built on the cliffs. The tour we took on the floor of the canyon was so interesting, with our Navajo guide telling us about the history of the dwellings as well as the Navajo nation. I was glad that I purchased a long telephotozoom lens for this trip (Nikon 80 - 400 mm), because I thought I would be far from some of my subjects, notably the White House ruins from across the canyon rim. I was able to get a sharp, closeup picture of the ruins with the lens.

We went to Monument Valley from Canyon de Chelly and the weather was great. We had sun during the day and clouds came in at sunset, when photographed the most. I took the "common" pictures of the monuments, but tried to find a composition that was mor unique. I think I came up with one in the image "Road in Monument Valley".