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Photographing Horseshoe Bend – Marco Schröder

horseshoebend These picture, I was somewhat surprised at these amazing outcome, is more or less a lucky spin-off (serendipity). It is the result of a snapshot during our trip to the United States this summer. We made a round-trip from San Francisco to Las Vegas. During the journey we stopped at Page. We have heard about the possibility to take an amazing view at the Horseshoe Bend and the Antelope Canyon. We were impressed from the amazing view and the fantastic weather. To be on the edge of an abyss we took this picture. This picture is a composing image of 7  single images, when the camera 1st hand-held (=without using a tripod). It is being processed as a HDR. I used a Nikon D600 with a wide angle lens 15mm. marcoAbout me: I am an amateur photographer and i love to travel all over the world. My Homepage www.mschroeder.me  is in progress and is going to be completed very soon. Use this following mail address to contact me. I would appreciate hearing from you. E-Mail: [email protected]

16 Responses

  1. Good evening,

    Amazing photo!
    I am planning to visit Gran Canyon on Jul 5 or Jul 6, 2020 from Las Vegas in a combination with Horseshoe Bend.
    Can you please suggest at what time is better to visit Horseshoe Bend for tacking amazing pictures (first I plan to visit Gran Canyon or do you suggest to start from Horseshoe Bend)? and can you send me please a link in Google Maps for a parking slot?

    Thank you!

    My best,

    Kate

    1. Hi Kate,
      Sorry, but I can’t endorse this plan, no matter what order you do it in.
      First off, it takes ~5 hours to drive from Las Vegas, NV, to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (that’s the only side of the Grand Canyon that’s open). Normally, it would then take approximately 2.5-3 hours to drive from Grand Canyon South Rim to Horseshoe Bend. However, in light of the fact that the Navajo Reservation has closed off certain roads on their tribal lands due to COVID-19, including AZ64 from Desert View Point to Cameron, that means you’ll have to divert to Flagstaff, AZ, then North on US89 to Page, AZ, to visit Horseshoe Bend. That will add another 90 minutes onto your drive time, turning a 2.5-3 hour drive into another 5-hour drive (approximately). You’lre then looking at a 5-hour drive to get back to Las Vegas. Map
      That’s ~15 hours of driving in one day’s time. Not my idea of a vacation.
      A better plan would be to do this in 2-3 days time. Spend 1 night at the Grand Canyon, then another night in Page, AZ. That way, you’re perfectly positioned to visit Horseshoe Bend at the best time possible: just after sunrise.
      If one day is all you can spare, and you’ve never been to the Grand Canyon, then you should prioritize it over Horseshoe Bend.
      Good luck and safe travels,
      Alley Keosheyan 🙂

  2. I’ll be visiting this October after my trip to Havasu Falls. Can’t wait to see this beautiful place in person.

    1. Hi Jo,
      October is a great time to be here! Hope you have all your permits and reservations in place for Havasu Falls, it’s a difficult place to get to, both physically and logistically.
      Good luck and happy traveling,
      Alley 🙂

  3. I will be visiting this place soon and I’m also an amateur photographer and I’m looking for tips and just trying to be very well informed about photography hacks will I’m there. When you mentioned “this is a composing image of 7 different images” can’t you explain further what it means ?

    1. Hi Kevin,
      Looking at that post, I confess that I too am a bit puzzled as to what Mr. Schroder means by that. However, he does post a link to his personal website, https://mschroeder.me You might try visiting it and perhaps even contacting him personally!
      As for tips on photographing Horseshoe Bend, so far I have yet to see a bad picture taken of it, but a wide angle lens is definitely a good thing to have.
      Good luck and safe travels. Be sure to bring plenty of water, it’s hot out there.
      Alley 🙂

    2. He did take 7 single images and used a program to stich those 7 images in to one panoramic image – I guess that is what he means

    1. Hi Crystal,
      The photographer doesn’t specify what time he took the photo, but I’m guessing, from the angle of the sun overhead it was sometime between mid-morning and mid-day. Fortunately, there’s no such thing as a bad time to visit Horseshoe Bend, except maybe at night – no lights, no guardrails and a 500’+ drop to the river aren’t exactly a good combination LOL Best Time to Visit Horseshoe Bend
      Thank you for visiting our site today!
      Alley

  4. This is one the most beautiful views i have ever seen!! U’d love to go there!! Love this pic! Absolument fabuleux!! Thank’s , merci!

      1. Hi Debbie,
        This is a really good question, and sadly, the answer is ‘no.’
        However, you can join a smooth water float trip that will travel through Horseshoe Bend and does offer a stop for swimming.
        Another option would be to rent or bring a kayak and contract a backhaul service to tow your watercraft to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam and let you float down to Lees Ferry.
        Best wishes and Happy New Year,
        Alley 🙂

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