Julie and I had the privilege of photographing an awesome wedding in Arizona (which can be seen here), which was a perfect opportunity for us to road trip through northern Arizona to visit the Grand Canyon, Page area, with a quick pitstop through one of our favorite national parks, Zion.

The diversity of landscapes and terrain found in the western US never ceases to amaze me. From the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, out to the crashing coastal bluffs of the entire coast, up to the continental divide of the Rocky Mountains, and down to the desert valleys of Southeastern California, 1/3 of a country offers a world's worth of visual grandeur.  On this trip through northern Arizona, I was able to check off a few things on my personal landscape bucket list: the Grand Canyon (with a spectacular sunset to boot), Horseshoe Bend, and Antelope Canyon.

These three locations have been photographed as much as any, but I still had a desire to be there and photograph it myself and capture it how I experienced it.  They might lack a truly unique composition (especially true of Horseshoe Bend) but in these situations, it's a matter of pushing myself to create something at least slightly unique in a sea of imitations... while still getting that classic photo, of course.

The Grand Canyon really is a marvel and it's not just the sheer size, but the colorful layers, intricate shapes, and unique textures that have been carved over billions of years that make it a visual spectacle.  The hype is real.

Hope you enjoy the photos. Photos from Antelope Canyon to follow!

Zion > North Rim of the Grand Canyon > Page > Flagstaff > Sedona > Prescott

(Update: part II of the trip featuring Antelope Canyon(s) can be found here)

For my photographic gear obsessed homies, most of these were taken with my trusty ol Nikon D600 with my travel/landscape staples, the Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G and Nikon 24-120mm f/4G VR. Also sprinkled in there are shots from a Ricoh GR and even a couple from my iPhone 6S.  Pick em out if you can!

In early November, Julie and I made a trip out to Zion National Park in Utah.  Along with the main attraction of Zion, we hung out in Vegas for a little bit and also made a day out in the Valley of Fire State Park. 

Zion was awesome.  The weather was great, temperatures were nicely chill in the morning and cool in the day, we got some rain, some clouds, and some sun! The foliage had just begin to turn for the fall at the time, so that gave a little extra pizzazz to the landscape.  We did a handful of hikes, but didn't tackle the end of Angels Landing or the Narrows (it was WAY too cold to do without the neoprene boots and pants, that we didn't rent).  We'll definitely be doing the Narrows during our next visit though.

We also spent some time in Vegas with a day detour over to the Valley of Fire State Park.  VoF is a cool spot about 30-45 minutes from Vegas that's worth checking out if you're out there and looking to get away from the hysteria of the strip.  Its alien-planet like landscape is certainly a sight to see.  The hikes are generally all pretty easy, but the terrain varies immensely from area to area.

Vegas was typical Vegas., though it was my first time being there not during the summer, so it was a refreshing to not walk outside to 100+ degree weather.  We spent some time over in downtown Las Vegas, a nice change of pace to The Strip.  Not as glamorous or wild, but it had a unique nostalgic charm to it.  Not to mention you could actually find a blackjack table with less than $20 minimum.