T-Travel Photography
Zdenko Takac & Iveta Takacova
Landscape, Travel & Fine Art Photography
Mt St Helens & Willamette NP
Horseshoe Bend
This is a nice example of a horseshoe-shaped meander created by the Colorado River located near Lake Powell in Arizona. It is about 8.0 km downstream from Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. From Page, take Route 89 and drive about 6.5km till you reach a small carpark on the right hand side. From there, you need to hike about 800m to the edge of the steep cliff above the meander.
There aren't many options to take a picture of this canyon under a different angle. We recommend taking pictures of this place in the morning as the sun rises behind your back. We were there well before sunrise to avoid strong shades in the canyon. If you have a full frame camera and wide angle lens, then it's a winner. It is very hard to get the whole meander in the shot if you don't have these.
Above is an example of the picture taken with the same full frame camera (Canon 5D mark III) but different lenses. The left picture was taken with Canon 14mm lens and the other with Canon 24-105mm lens. Both pictures were taken just before sunrise to avoid these harsh shadows.
If you have problems with heights, stay well away from the cliff edges as there are no barriers to protect you or hold on to.