Travels to Sedona AZ: A Photo Adventure
Sedona is an Arizona desert town near Flagstaff that’s surrounded by red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls and pine forests. When you experience the sights, the sounds and the smell of nature and the beauty of the red rock landscape, a feeling of euphoria comes over you and you’ll catch what they call “Red Rock Fever”. (Don’t worry – it’s a good thing) Those with a severe case of “Red Rock Fever”, may lose a little sleep or become anxious because they did not plan enough time in this wonderful area.
So in this Sedona photo adventure travel guide, I hope to point out some very special places to visit, tips on how to photograph these sites and best ways to get there. All photos were taken with my Canon EOS 6D camera using my 3 favourite lens – EF-16-35mm F/4L IS USM / EF-24-105mm f/4L IS USM / EF-70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM.
Hope you enjoy the photos!
Seven Canyons Hot Air Ballooning
Woke up this morning way too early (4am) but the sunrise balloon ride was amazing. There’s truly a magical feeling, soaring gently with the wind experiencing an “Aerial Nature Walk” when you are hot air ballooning. Sedona’s natural wonders and wildlife sightings were incredible as we soared over the treetops and rose again to get heights. We did this ballooning trip with Red Rock Balloon Adventures, holds the permit from the Coconino National Forest to fly over this area. This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/4 with a ISO setting of 500.
Jerome Arizona
Jerome is a town in the Black Hills of Yavapai County, about 40 minutes from Sedona. After reading about this place, I just had to go. Having been dubbed the largest ghost town in the USA, Jerome has a long and storied history of being a copper mining camp. Today you can enjoy a stroll around this town and drop into one of the small restaurants for a bite. It’s really a unique and cool little town to visit, perfect place to snap a few photos. But I really wanted to see Gold King Mine Museum and Ghost Town. It’s a funky little place with dilapidated buildings, an old mine & a large collection of old autos & trucks. You’ve never seen anything quite like this and if you like photographing old cars – you’ll be in car heaven. The property is filled with over 180 vintage cars, trucks & motorcycles, including Studebaker’s and Harley’s. This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in TV mode; at 1/125 sec with a ISO setting of 1000.
Tiaquepaque Village Sedona
A sense of curiosity is nature’s original school of education. Tlaquepaque Village has been a Sedona landmark since the 1970’s. I just loved this place! Lots of photo ops here with some of world’s most unique art galleries, restaurants and specialty shops. This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in TV mode; at 1/60 sec with a ISO setting of 640
Chapel of the Holy Cross Sedona
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic chapel built into the buttes of Sedona about 250 feet high, jutting out of a thousand foot red rock wall. The construction was something of a miracle in itself and the chapel is a fine example of modern architecture, focusing all attention on a great window and cross behind the altar. This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/11 with a ISO setting of 100.
Verde Valley School Rd, Sedona
I was trying to chase down the Greater Roadrunner bird, which I heard ran around this part of Sedona. I couldn’t find the bird but I stumbled across this beautiful vista. It was too much to let go without a quick photo, especially with the cyclist who had just passed me to go down the road. I hopped out of my car, camera in hand, took this photo only to hear my rental car door close behind me and the auto door lock locked me out. Here I was stranded on a desert road, no homes in sight and a big thirst and panic starting to set in – what do I do – smash the window? Luckily within 5 minutes a van passed by and rescue me. Hope you enjoy my panic moment photo 🙂 This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/11 with a ISO setting of 250.
Desert Moon
The gardens of the Desert are boundless and beautiful in their majesty. You can find these kind of desert scenes all over. This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/11 with a ISO setting of 250.
Sunrise over the Desert
This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/11 with a ISO setting of 250.
Red Rock Crossing
Red Rock Crossing is the iconic symbol of Sedona, and arguably one of the best symbols of the American Southwest at large. Flat stretches of inviting red rock, grasses, and shade trees line idyllic sections of the Oak Creek. Striking views of nearby Cathedral Rock are a photographer’s dream, especially in late afternoon when the sunset lights up the rock. This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in TV mode; at 1/60 sec. with a ISO setting of 100.
Bell Rock (Arizona)
Bell Rock is just north of the Village of Oak Creek, Arizona, south of Sedona. Some New Age writers consider Bell Rock to be a portal into the Earth or a gateway to other dimensions (lots of hippies live in Sedona).The deep red color for which Sedona is famous is due to the presence of hematite (iron oxide, otherwise known as rust) that stains the sandstone. This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/11 with a ISO setting of 100.
Schnebly Hill Road Vista
Schnebly Hill Road is one of the premier drives in all of Arizona, but it’s a steep, twisty, unpaved road that drops more than 2,000 feet from a wooded mesa into the wonderland of Sedona. So don’t try it with your rental car. I really wanted to capture this Schnebly Hill Road Vista so I set up a tour with Pink Jeep excursions. The drive up there was more exciting than the rides at the Toronto Exhibition, but it was well worth the effort. This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/10 with a ISO setting of 100.
The Apple Packing Shed
Located in Sedona, Arizona. This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/11 with a ISO setting of 100.
Volcanos of Sedona
We discover extinct volcanoes during our early morning ballooning over Sedona. This interesting landscape is part of the is Mogollon Rim, an escarpment about 2000-3000 ft high and the volcanos are said to be 6 to 15 million years old. This photo was taken with my Canon EF-24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/9 with a ISO setting of 800.
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