The Photography Family — Visiting Tonto Natural Bridge with RitchieCam

My daughter, Jo, using RitchieCam on my iPhone.

I just got back from a quick road trip to see the world’s largest travertine natural bridge. Located right in the center of Arizona in the Mazatzal Mountains, Tonto Natural Bridge is an under-appreciated natural wonder. While winding through the evergreen forest along Highway 87 between Payson and Pine, you’d never guess that the place was even there. An unassuming side road steeply descends into a canyon, which is where the park is located; however, even after parking it’s not obvious what you’ll find. Only after a very short hike is the natural bridge revealed. A longer hike will take you right up to it, and even through it if you want.

The actual reason for the trip was more than just a chance to experience this Arizona State Park. Even though it is now autumn, it is still hot like summer in the Phoenix desert, but the higher elevations offer a reprieve from the heat. The temperature at our cabin was 30 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than in the valley where we live. Also, we hoped to photograph some fall colors, which isn’t something commonly found in the desert.

So we (myself and my family) found ourselves among the pines in Pine, experiencing cooler temperatures, looking for autumn leaves, and visiting the largest travertine natural bridge in the world. It was great! I wish it could have lasted longer than just one weekend, but, alas, we could only stay but for a short time.

My wife, Amanda, using RitchieCam on her iPhone.

Upon returning, I realized that all six of us—myself, my wife, and my four kids—had all done some photography on this adventure. I mostly used my Fujifilm X100V, X-E4, and X70, while my wife used her X-T4. The two of us also at times used the RitchieCam camera app on our iPhones, as did each of our four kids.

As it turns out (and just as it was intended to be), RitchieCam is great for the whole family! It’s super easy—even my five-year-old had no problems figuring it out—yet robust enough that we felt comfortable using it to capture more serious photographic moments (as well as the silly ones sometimes). RitchieCam is an app for everyone, including kids, and is especially well suited for family adventures.

I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the photographs that each of us captured with RitchieCam on our trip. I used it specifically for the 65:24 XPan aspect ratio. I found it interesting to see what the rest of my family had captured with the App on this short trip to the mountains.

I hope that you enjoy the pictures!

Ritchie

RitchieCam App — Dramatic B&W filter
RitchieCam App — Vintage Kodak filter
RitchieCam App — Dramatic B&W filter

Amanda

RitchieCam App — MetroColor filter
RitchieCam App — Sunny Day filter
RitchieCam App — Sunny Day filter

Joy

RitchieCam App — Dramatic B&W filter
RitchieCam App — Vintage Kodak filter
RitchieCam App — Instant Color 2 filter

Jonathan

RitchieCam App — Vibrant Color filter
RitchieCam App — Vibrant Color filter
RitchieCam App — Analog Color

Joshua

RitchieCam App — Dramatic B&W filter
RitchieCam App — Dramatic B&W filter
RitchieCam App — Dramatic B&W filter

Johanna

RitchieCam App — Vintage Kodak filter
RitchieCam App — Instant Color 3 filter
RitchieCam App — Instant Color 3 filter

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