Brad Templeton's Panoramic Photography
High Resolution Stitched Panoramic Photos
Recommended: Use Full Screen button when viewing

VR Tour

The Best of Arizona

The Best of Arizona

Features the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. Lake Powell and Monument Valley are actually on the Arizona-Utah border, but these shots are in Arizona.

These shots come from my Utah-Colorado trip and some from my Lake Powell & Monument Valley trip.


grand-royale.jpg (6158 x 1100 - 1456K) or VR/Zoom!360° x 64° (Set) Full size is 7496 x 1339 (10 Megapix) (3' 6" x 7" at 180PPI)
Grand Canyon North Rim from Cape Royale

One of my favourites. This is a full 360 degree view from Cape Royale on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, taken about an hour after sunrise. I've often felt that no picture can capture the Grand Canyon but this comes close by including the entire view. Shot with 24mm lens. I'm right out on a ledge, though the 360 degree wrap-around makes it look like I'm in an indentation. This is common with any panorama wider than 180.


monval-poster.jpg (3370 x 1100 - 275K) or VR/Zoom!248° (FL) Full size is 7678 x 2506 (19 Megapix) (3' 7" x 14" at 180PPI)
Sunset light on Monument Valley

My most popular photo for many years. Taken at sunset in Monument Valley. The famous "Mittens" are on the left, casting long shadows to the right. Due to the panoramic angle, the feature to my right is lit in the bright red light of sunset.

The jpeg versions of this image on the web page always have bad artifacts at the sharp edge between red rock and blue sky. The real file doesn't have these if you print from it.

This image is very high resolution and was shot on Fuji Velvia for wonderful saturated colour with a 24mm lens. This is about a 230 degree view.


whitehouse-above.jpg (2697 x 1100 - 777K) or VR/Zoom!76° x 29° (Exif) Full size is 38662 x 15770 (610 Megapix) (6' 4" x 2' 7" at 508PPI)
Whitehouse area of Canyon de Chelly

This is Canyon de Chelly (de Shay) national monument, the famous "White House" ruins of the Anasazi. Or rather, this is a 600 megapixel view of the valley from the edge which has enough resolution that you can zoom right into the ruins and all other valley features. They built up the wall to deal with floods, but it sure meant a trek when they needed to get something upstairs.


powbest2.jpg (11831 x 1100 - 1802K) or VR/Zoom!246° x 22° (.pano) Full size is 46429 x 4316 (200 Megapix) (13' 11" x 16" at 278PPI)
Lake Powell in 2000, back when it was full

Arizona wins again with this 270 degree view of Lake Powell during an astounding sunset. It really looked like this. You can see the marina on the left, and on the right the town of Page and Glen Canyon Dam. (You'll see more of the dam and the lake in my collection.) This was taken with a 50mm lens from a small vista point above the lake.


gc-dam-horseshoe.jpg (3720 x 1100 - 668K) or VR/Zoom!221° x 70° (IVR) Full size is 4227 x 1250 (5 Megapix) (1' 11" x 7" at 180PPI)
The horseshoe bend before Glen Canyon Dam, Utah

Here's Glen Canyon dam, on the Colorado River, the dam that forms Lake Powell. This shot, a 180 degree shot from a bend, shows the path of the river as it leaves the dam. Taken at sunrise, 24mm lens. Velvia film.

The Mittens of Monument Valley

The most famous view in Monument Valley is the mittens, two rock outcroppings with opposing thumbs. Here I have captured them over the course of the sunset. To shoot Monument Valley at sunset, they insist you hire a Navajo guide. But it was worth it to have somebody ferry you around quickly so you could get shots. We got a guide to ourselves. He takes you places your own car is not supposed to go.

I have also composed the three views of the mittens into a single poster, 12" x 36".


mittens2.jpg (4433 x 874 - 533K) or VR/Zoom!197° (FL) Full size is 4433 x 874 (4 Megapix) (2' 1" x 5" at 180PPI)
Mittens in sunlight, Monument Valley

Here they are with solid sunset light.


mittens-sunset.jpg (2685 x 847 - 310K) or VR/Zoom!257° (FL) Full size is 2685 x 847 (2 Megapix) (15" x 5" at 180PPI)
Mittens of Monument Valley at sunset

Just a few minutes before sunset, the shadows creep up the rock.


mittens-twilit.jpg (3237 x 976 - 407K) or VR/Zoom!162° x 50° (IVR) Full size is 3237 x 976 (3 Megapix) (18" x 5" at 180PPI)
Mittens of Monument Valley

After sunset, back at the visitor center


Browse the Rest of Arizona