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Traveler's Guide to . . . Arizona |
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Traveler PO Box 39912 Los Angeles, CA 90039 800-417-4680 323-660-8600 fax 323-660-0473 phototravel@phototraveler.com
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The Arizona guide
covers the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, Petrified
National Forest, Havasupai, Wupaki and Sunset National Monuments, Tucson
area including Saguaro National Park, Organ Pipe, slot canyons and more.
1997, 53 pages, $15.95
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Arizona Wupatki National Monument Wupatki and Sunset national monuments are located twelve miles north of Flagstaff east of Route 89. It is just a short detour on your way to the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, or national parks of southern Utah. The best strategy is to go through the Wupatki ruins in the morning and then plan on being at sunset Crater in the afternoon. Views of Sunset Crater are west-facing and it is best to have the sun shining on the black crater reflecting the orange residue on the surface. Wupatki Though the southwest has many sites of ancient Indian dwellings, Wupatki National Monument has some of the most accessible and photogenic. Unlike many other Indian ruins built at cave openings and on cliffs (where the major interest is the facades, historical artifacts, and interiors), the ruins at Wupatki are free-standing buildings that provide the photographer with interesting textures, forms, and lighting. The stones used to build these structures are bright red and contrast spectacularly against a bold blue sky and the black volcanic earth. |
| Planning Your Photo Visit Any time of day is a good time to photograph these ruins. Early or late sun adds a warm glow and gives you good directional lighting, but even at high noon the angular shapes of the buildings provide interesting forms of light and shadow. Because the major ruins near the Visitor Center face east, late morning are best for lighting. All the Wupatki ruins covered are but a short walk from your car so you can retrieve any equipment you need easily. You will find wide angle lenses (24mm-35mm) the most useful for these structures, especially when framing various parts of the ruins through doorways. A telephoto is best for distant photos. If you are there on a sunny day, you'll want to use a polarizing filter to enhance the blue sky in contrast to the red buildings. There are more sites then those covered here that you could explore either by driving dirt roads or by hiking. Wupatki
Ruins The Citadel Lomaki |
