After the Grand Canyon, I decided to drive to Sedona. I know that I already partially covered the trip to Sedona in a previous blog entry, but I feel the need to go back to it. Sedona is one of the most spiritually powerful places I have been in my life. The earth there seems to be charged with an energy that is not found in many places in the world. I felt calm and at ease there. I only stayed one night, I wanted to stay longer but I needed to continue to Pheonix.
I shot a lot in Sedona. I photographed Slide Rock- which I posted in a previous blog entry. I drove through Oak Canyon on the way to Sedona. Oak Canyon is just outside of Sedona, and Slide Rock is only about 3 miles from the little town. On my way in, I stopped at Slide Rock to shoot a 4x5 from the bridge. It was a Saturday and there were about a hundred people swimming in the creek at Slide. I found this out the next morning, but many times in the summer, the city has to close the creek because tests indicate that there is an unhealthy amount of urine in the water. Ewwwwww. Luckily I had no idea as I splashed around the creek with all of the other tourists and Sedona locals.
When I went to photograph Slide Rock, I had to park about a half mile from the bridge. After parking, I walked on a pathway tucked in the trees along the highway. I was there in the late afternoon, and there were plenty of cars on the highway, and people in the river below the path. But the path was strangely secluded and devoid of any people.
As I walked down the path, weighed down by three cameras and a heavy tripod, I approached a woman. As she came closer, I noticed she was in her mid fifties or early sixties. She looked beautiful. She had long blonde hair. Her skin was tan and glowing. Here eyes were blue, and her clothes were clean and pressed. But there was something about her and the way she carried her that told me she lived on the road, and she didn't carry much to her name. As I approached her, I got a very cold feeling. We passed one another and a few seconds later, I could hear her yelling to get my attention. I turned around to see that she was talking to me, walking towards me. She was telling this story about her apartment getting broken into, her car getting stolen, she had no phone and needed money. As she spoke to me, she came closer and closer to me. Out of no where, a chill started at my scalp and washed through my entire body like a wave. I felt fear. I was holding my tripod on my shoulder, but I calmly pulled it in front of me to set a distance between us. I was unsure of what she would do, and the fear told me that she could physically come after me, even though she was clearly in her late fifties. I calmly interrupted her and removed myself from the situation as quickly as possible. As I walked away, the fear continued to wash through me, and I was scared.
I found it so interesting because I lived in New York City for three years, and never felt the fear that I felt when I was in her presence. I think that my body sensed something that my mind could not understand. It was beyond any physical or real comprehension. I just wonder what that something was- but thank goodness nothing happened. I will never forget that experience. I also think that my sense were heightened because Sedona is such an energetic place.
I shot a lot in Sedona. I photographed Slide Rock- which I posted in a previous blog entry. I drove through Oak Canyon on the way to Sedona. Oak Canyon is just outside of Sedona, and Slide Rock is only about 3 miles from the little town. On my way in, I stopped at Slide Rock to shoot a 4x5 from the bridge. It was a Saturday and there were about a hundred people swimming in the creek at Slide. I found this out the next morning, but many times in the summer, the city has to close the creek because tests indicate that there is an unhealthy amount of urine in the water. Ewwwwww. Luckily I had no idea as I splashed around the creek with all of the other tourists and Sedona locals.
When I went to photograph Slide Rock, I had to park about a half mile from the bridge. After parking, I walked on a pathway tucked in the trees along the highway. I was there in the late afternoon, and there were plenty of cars on the highway, and people in the river below the path. But the path was strangely secluded and devoid of any people.
As I walked down the path, weighed down by three cameras and a heavy tripod, I approached a woman. As she came closer, I noticed she was in her mid fifties or early sixties. She looked beautiful. She had long blonde hair. Her skin was tan and glowing. Here eyes were blue, and her clothes were clean and pressed. But there was something about her and the way she carried her that told me she lived on the road, and she didn't carry much to her name. As I approached her, I got a very cold feeling. We passed one another and a few seconds later, I could hear her yelling to get my attention. I turned around to see that she was talking to me, walking towards me. She was telling this story about her apartment getting broken into, her car getting stolen, she had no phone and needed money. As she spoke to me, she came closer and closer to me. Out of no where, a chill started at my scalp and washed through my entire body like a wave. I felt fear. I was holding my tripod on my shoulder, but I calmly pulled it in front of me to set a distance between us. I was unsure of what she would do, and the fear told me that she could physically come after me, even though she was clearly in her late fifties. I calmly interrupted her and removed myself from the situation as quickly as possible. As I walked away, the fear continued to wash through me, and I was scared.
I found it so interesting because I lived in New York City for three years, and never felt the fear that I felt when I was in her presence. I think that my body sensed something that my mind could not understand. It was beyond any physical or real comprehension. I just wonder what that something was- but thank goodness nothing happened. I will never forget that experience. I also think that my sense were heightened because Sedona is such an energetic place.
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