Seductive Sedona

Autumn rainstorms charged the flow in a side canyon off Oak Creek. Larry Lindahl chose a wide-angle lens and stopped down to a small aperture to ensure good focus from near-to-far. The long exposure softened the cascading water. Pentax 6x7 camera, 55 mm lens, f22, 1/2 second, Fujichrome Velvia

Text excerpted from Secret Sedona: Sacred Moments in the Landscape

ENTER THE MYSTERY AND BEAUTY OF SEDONA

through its artistic sandstone formations, tumbling creeks and white-boled sycamores. Take the time to know this special place.

For me, experiencing Sedona began early one February morning when I walked into a fog-shrouded Boynton Canyon. Misty winter rain soaked the sandstone, turning it dark red. Waterfalls broadcast sounds into the air. By afternoon, I had hiked to a large alcove where I sat spellbound, watching a cur-tain of water cascading over the opening. I could see the canyon through the falling water as it glistened with sparks of light.

The ruins of a stone dwelling stood behind me. I wondered about people who had lived in it. Had the Ancient Ones watched this same scene transfixed, as I was, by its magic? The moment felt timeless, without boundaries. Everything felt richly integrated. I felt baptized into some hidden knowledge of the sacred essence of life. It was a moment I will never forget.

Season after season, I went out into the red-rock landscape. I found a multitude of decorated potsherds, a bone awl, digging sticks and a palette smeared with ancient pictograph paint. I left these artifacts where I found them. They belong to the land. They are part of its story.

Capturing the best light of the day for photographs often meant making my return hike in twilight or in the dark. In the dimness, I accidentally startled deer, javelinas, lizards, quails and rattlesnakes. My cheek was brushed once with the wing of a bat (it felt soft, like peach fuzz). I startled myself several times, mistaking exposed tree roots for rattlesnakes.

Sometimes, however, I carried a backpack and spent the night. From the summit of Capital Butte, I photographed the risingfull moon in January. Light from the west tinted Soldiers Pass and Wilson Mountain in sunset colors as the moon broke over the eastern horizon. To the north, the snow-covered San Francisco Peaks turned pink. As the sun disappeared, the temperature plunged. I made my way down the mountain the following morning.

Patterns in Nature

Working on a photography assignment for Arizona Highways, I stayed several summer days alone on Secret Mountain. One night, after a nearly cloudless sunset, a thunderstorm arrived around midnight. Crackling lightning speared the mountaintop. The air smelled acrid with ozone. I prayed for sunrise. The next morning under a calm, overcast sky I awoke thankful to be alive.... Al

Towering Silence

Lindahl: "Turning to look behind me, I saw this view along the West Fork. Cautiously, I set my tripod legs in the moving water to frame a vertical composition while hoping the off-balance setup wouldn't tip over into the creek. When I was satisfied I had the image I was looking for, I packed up my camera gear and made the return trip to the trailhead by the light of my headlamp in the dark." Pentax 6x7, 55 mm lens, f22, ½ second, Fujichrome Velvia

A soft overcast perfectly lights an ephemeral stream in Oak Creek Canyon. Open shadows, fleeting highlights and rain-slicked rocks combine with a small aperture to create depth and detail in the image. Pentax 6x7, 90 mm lens, f22, 1½ second, Fujichrome Velvia

Borne on the Wind

Lindahl: "With twilight approaching, cold evening air was settling into Bear Sign Canyon when I found this milkweed along the trail. Working with my tripod low to the ground, I set up the photograph on my hands and knees, hoping that the next breeze wouldn't scatter the plant's seeds. I used a long exposure because of the dim light, which seems to make the fluffy seeds glow against the darkening background." Nikon FE2, 35-70 mm Zoom-Nikkor lens, f22, one second, Fujichrome Velvia

Sycamore and alder trees in fall color brighten a streamside view of Oak Creek. Lindahl used a polarizing filter set at approximately half its highest degree of polarization to darken the sky slightly. Deepening the sky tones helped enhance the separation of color between the blue of the sky and the golden yellow of the trees. Pentax 6x7, 90 mm lens, f22, 1/2 second, Fujichrome Velvia polarizing filter set at approximately half its highest degree of polarization to darken the sky slightly. Deepening the sky tones helped enhance the separation of color between the blue of the sky and the golden yellow of the trees. Pentax 6x7, 90 mm lens, f22, 1/2 second, Fujichrome Velvia To order a print of this photograph, see page 1.

ADDITIONAL READING

As witnessed by the photography outtakes on the preceding pages, Secret Sedona: Sacred Moments in the Landscape invites readers into the incomparable environment of Sedona. Its special collection of some 90 photographs supplemented with descriptions by author-photographer Larry Lindahl documents his adventures among Sedona's red-rock formations, mysterious canyons, cascading streams and ancient Sinaguan dwellings. Lindahl's photographs and stories give a diverse and comprehensive look at one of Earth's most beautiful places.

The softcover book ($8.96 until Oct. 31; $9.95 thereafter; plus shipping and handling) can be ordered online at arizonahighways. com or by calling toll-free (800) 543-5432.

deer me, LET'S HIDE!

the tiny, cunning Coues whitetail takes evasion seriously