Alien shapes of the prehistoric pedestal rocks, seemingly defying laws of gravity by balancing their enormous tops at acute angles, give Stud Horse Point an otherworldly feel. Located near Page, Arizona close to the Utah state line, this group of half dozen stunning hoodoos is positioned within a depression overlooking the valley and Lake Powell in the background. Complemented by the green earth and set against one of the most dramatic sunsets I have ever witnessed, this group of hoodoos yielded some of my favorite Southwest captures.
"Orion"
Technique: A wonderful place to shoot at sunrise and sunset, with limitless possible compositions. A wide to medium range zoom lens is recommended to take in the whole scene and then isolate individual hoodoos. I used my favorite wide angle lens, the NIKKOR 14-24 mm f/2.8 ED, for the majority of my exposures and bracketed, subsequently manually blending the images.
"Foreign Planet"
Location: Driving from Page, take US 89 northwest for approximately 5.6 miles from the Glen Canyon Dam. Take the left turn off the highway between mileposts 555 and 556 onto an old paved road. After 0.8 miles make a left and follow a small power line for approximately 1.5 mile. Then bear left, go 0.35 miles and bear right (West) at an inconspicuous sandy spur. Then proceed 0.25 miles and bear right (Northwest) heading downhill, where you will encounter a cattle gate – please close it behind you if you found it that way. Following the gate, you will be driving uphill for a short time before arriving to a parking area located approximately 0.5 miles from the cattle gate.
All images are ©2012 Alexander Filatov Photography. All rights reserved.
