Horseshoe Bend, AZ.
You Do You
Although exceedingly beautiful, Horseshoe Bend is extremely touristy (as many beautiful places are). As a photographer I was both intrigued and hesitant to visit this spot. Intrigued because it’s such a stunning location; hesitant because it’s become a bit of a cliché photo. This spot has undoubtedly been photographed millions of times, and a large part of me felt completely uninspired and unoriginal at the thought of visiting.
But, as you can see, I decided to visit anyway.
I woke up early to catch the sunrise and was first in line as they opened the gates. After parking, it’s a 15-20 minute walk down to the overlook, and myself and a fellow photographer were the first ones there, ready to claim our spots. And good thing we did, because before long the hordes arrived and the place turned into selfie city. I did get a few nice photos, but unfortunately the sunrise and overall photo conditions left much to be desired.
Can’t win ‘em all.
I hadn't planned to, but two weeks later I ended up visiting Horseshoe Bend again as I passed through on my way north. And while the conditions weren’t perfect, they were far better than my first visit, with more stable lighting and some storm clouds developing off in the distance. Plus, I had already scouted out the best angles. And you know what? I’m glad I decided to photograph this place. Because I realized that even though it is an overphotographed scene, in my opinion, I still wanted to photograph it for myself.
There’s a phrase that lives in my head, and while it has become a bit of a meme, it's a phrase I find to contain wisdom amongst its simplicity. The phrase is “you do you.”
Who cares what others have done. You do you.
Who cares what others may think. You do you.
Who cares what others may say. You do you.
Who cares if millions of photographers have already photographed that location. You do you.
The truth is that this isn’t the best photo ever taken at Horseshoe Bend—it’s not even the best photo I’ve ever taken myself. But who cares? It was fun to explore a new place and an honor to photograph it for myself. That’s all that matters.
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”– Dr. Seuss
