All images © 2007-2013 Aaron Meyers
It’s a little bit crazy to think how much I’ve learned about a small area around Page, Arizona in the last 3 years. My first visit was in 2011 and I knew so little that the only places Willie and I photographed were Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon before we high-tailed it out to shoot other places. “There’s not much else around” we thought. It always amazes me how I drove by so many stunning scenes without even noticing! Take the Hoodoo Forest, here, for example. It’s not far from the road. It’s not a hard hike. Heck, it’s not even far from a few really well known spots, yet, most people don’t even know it’s here! The place is a bit creepy at first. You get to the edge of a cliff, look down, see the hoodoo’s and think “there is no way I can get there.” With some bravery you find yourself standing in front of these amazing rock formations! Lesson learned: cairn the way down so you can get yourself back up. It’s not so easy when the sun has gone down and it’s almost dark! Willie and I almost didn’t make it down here in time for sunset. In fact, it took us so long to figure out how to get here that we were running around like crazy chickens trying to find good compositions. I loved the way that this spot showcased a number of the hoodoo’s and how they all seemed to face Turret Rock (I’m naming this guy cuz he’s so awesome). I needed the 14mm lens to fit it all in! Nikon D800 w/Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC: 14mm, f/11, 1/13 sec, ISO 100
In August 2014, Willie, David, Phill and I spent almost a week exploring more of the Arizona desert. I think if I spent any more time there I might have to start paying taxes! The week was quite action filled: beautiful light, steep hikes, crazy rock formations, popped tires, squeaky styrofoam coolers, and lots and lots of exploration. Willie and I drove hundreds of miles around Arizona on this trip and we were fortunate enough to have David show us around the Painted Hills. After making our own parking spot on the side of the road we explored this area, which we’ve now dubbed “Breezyland”, and fell immediately in love. It’s hard not to when you have amazing hill formations, striped colors, and an absolutely gorgeous sunset. This was our second night exploring this area and I camped out here for a quite a while, hoping the clouds would be in the right spot at sunset. We couldn’t have asked for anything better — the beautiful color exploded out of this wave-like cloud just as it rolled over the hills. I just wanted to lie down and fall asleep here, trying to make the moment last forever. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S: 38mm, f/13, 1/5 sec, ISO100
