Also, if you’re going to Page, AZ, you should plan on touring Antelope Canyon while you’re there. That said, if you’ve never been to the Grand Canyon, you really should prioritize it over everything else. You need to set aside a separate day for the Grand Canyon in order to really do it justice. Depending on what time of year you’re traveling, that could eat up most of your workable daylight.

It takes ~3.5 hours to drive from Page, AZ, to the Grand Canyon, then another 4.5 hours to drive back to Phoenix. You have correctly deduced that seeing the Grand Canyon as a “drive-by” on your way back to Phoenix from Page is neither realistic nor fun. Beautiful locations such as Horseshoe Bend graciously reward those that patiently pursue them. With a little planning I was able to capture what I had envisioned, and am very satisfied with the results. The temperatures were pleasant, and I gave myself the opportunity to spend the entire day at the location (equipped with water, food, a good book, and plenty of sunscreen), but ended up marking the location carefully and running into town a couple times to add a bit of variety to my day, and keep my perspective fresh. Images were taken approximately every hour from 30 minutes before sunrise, to about 30 minutes after sunset. I used a tripod, and marked the exact perspective so that it could be easily repeated. I arrived at Horseshoe Bend well before sunrise and scouted the location where I would shoot the series of photographs. The September day I chose provided just what I was looking for. In my Horseshoe Bend series, I wanted to capture the dance of light and atmosphere through one day (from the same perspective) when interesting interactions were likely (late monsoon season). I frequent the Page area, and enjoy shooting many of the popular (and relatively unknown) locations nearby. In my photography I not only attempt to convey unique moments, aspects and light, but also a sense of pattern, process and evolution.

Can you tour horseshoe bend on your own