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".