There are places that stimulate travel photographers to desire more than others and for me, that place is the legendary Western parks of the USA.
I planned a very intense journey to cover 2500km of the park in only 7 days and decided to take along the SIGMA sd Quattro H with a SIGMA 12-24mm F4 DG HSM | Art and a SIGMA 85mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens along with my trusted and lightweight SIGMA dp1 Quattro.
The first stop was the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. A striking desert landscape of bold red rock formations.
From there I take the long drive to the remote Bryce Canyon in Utah, passing through the Dixie National Forest. The trip on the scenic 89 North state road is spectacular. It is remote, wild and surrounded by snow-capped mountains, forest areas, canyons, desert, and rivers. A real multitude of scenery.
Going at this time of the year gave me the great advantage of there being fewer tourists as well as the unique contrast of snow covering the colourful red, orange, pink peaks and pinnacles that are called hoodoos. They appear to stand between trees creating a natural amphitheatres look. One early morning, with temperatures only at -10 degrees, I’m rewarded with a magical sunrise and the sd Quattro H delivers without any problem under these conditions and the SIGMA 12-24mm | Art did a superb job managing the difficult light situation and avoiding annoying flares.
Above images captured with the SIGMA sd Quattro H + SIGMA 12-24mm F4 DG HSM | Art lens
My next stop is the Navajo Nation territory in the southeastern Utah and northeastern Arizona, visiting Lake Powell, a reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona. Here I’ve opted for the SIGMA | 85mm Art to isolate the scene from a viewpoint.
Then onto Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River located near the town of Page, Arizona. Here a wider focal length lens is best and the SIGMA 12-24mm | Art was perfect to fill in all that beauty! However, I’ve also got some great shots with the super sharp SIGMA 85mm | Art.
Antelope Canyon was the next stop. This world-famous slot canyon is shaped by flash flooding and looks like nothing else on Earth, giving me a feeling of visiting Mars. The descent to the lower Antelope is only permitted with a Navajo guide tour and no tripods or bags are allowed, only a handheld camera and water. Therefore the portable SIGMA dp1Quattro was perfect to accompany me and thanks to its relatively fast F2.8 aperture, I’ve managed to take photos in the dark, deep canyon.
Above images captured with the SIGMA dp1 Quattro
Moving on to an one of the most memorable destinations of a lifetime was a visit to the Grand Canyon National Park. My expectations of visiting one of the best natural wonders on the planet were, of course, high and it did not disappoint. Its vastness is stunning, widely known for its exceptional natural beauty and considered one of the world’s most visually powerful landscape.
The real challenge here was to decide where to shoot while you look around this enormous beauty without becoming overwhelmed by the majestic feeling it provides. I needed to stop for a few minutes and take a deep breath and take in all the beauty that surrounded me.
The SIGMA sd Quattro H captured the details of the kaleidoscopic shades over the canyons, the sky, the clouds, and the colours of the rocks that seemed to blend into a perfect natural painting.
The SIGMA 12-24mm | Art was perfect for these conditions of course but I also found the SIGMA 85mm| Art was a must to use as well as it cropped some interesting viewpoints of the Canyon that would be impossible to reach by foot.
Above images captured with the SIGMA sd Quattro H + SIGMA 85mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens
The final park destination and one I certainly could not miss because it is the most iconic of them all was “The Monument Valley”. A legendary Navajo land that I’ve seen in adverts and has been used as a Hollywood playground for “cowboy vs Indians” theme movies. Entering the valley with the multitudes of rock formations is like entering a photogenic tour. The mesa and butte formations that have been shaped by 270 millions of years of erosion are impressive to look at especially in the golden hours of the late afternoon. Everything appears to get tainted in deep orange, the sand is a deep red, the bushes are green with the skeleton of trees and the sky a deep blue sky. You stand in a natural virtual postcard. I was also fortunate to camp overnight in the valley and had the fortune to witness the beautiful light of an early sunrise. The quietness and mystical energy of this sacred land added to the experience making it truly special.
Above images captured with the SIGMA sd Quattro H + SIGMA 12-24mm F4 DG HSM | Art lens
My time in the natural wonders of the wild west then came to an end and it was time to hit the l mother of all roads, route 66! Stopping off in Flagstaff, Arizona for the Lowell astronomical observatory that discovered Pluto in 1930, continuing on the goliardic drive that took me through 400km of small villages, remote petrol stations, authentic motels, pitstops at historic diners from the 50s and visiting memorabilia stores. Finishing off my trip in Las Vegas with its bright lights, kitsch and hedonism that is a contrast to the natural beauties that this amazing country as to offer.
During my road trip, I often found myself reaching for the light sigma Dp1Quattro while I was not able to use the tripod like into the Antelope Canyon or getting out of the car just for a quick stop.
Reflecting back on the adventure I’m of course thankful of the uniqueness my SIGMA Foveon cameras as I’m rewarded with a collection of vivid images full of details. They are the perfect companion for travel landscape photographers like me.
Above images captured with the SIGMA sd Quattro H + SIGMA 12-24mm F4 DG HSM | Art lens
I’ve always enjoyed using SIGMA cameras for their uniqueness and their ability to capture extreme levels of details, plus their vivid ‘slide-film’ like colours. Both cameras delivered superb results on this trip with capturing the details of the rocks, sand and trees. The clouds also have a 3D look in the images as you can imagine them floating in the sky and I’m really pleased with the richness of the colours from the images of my route 66 journey.
The quality of the SIGMA sd Quattro H is superb and paired with a super sharp SIGMA 85mm | Art or ultra wide IGMA 12-24mm | Art and you have a winning combination for landscape photography. I also appreciate the quality and portability of the stealthy SIGMA dp1 Quattro using it at times when the tripod set up was not possible. They continue to deliver and do
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Featured product: SIGMA sd Quattro H with a SIGMA 12-24mm F4 DG HSM | Art and a SIGMA 85mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens along with the SIGMA dp1 Quattro.