Horseshoe Bend is a great photo op, not far from Antelope Canyon. Take the lower Antelope Canyon guided photo tour. A tripod is required. The Navajo guides will hold back the crowds so you are guaranteed the best photos, with no other tourists stepping into your shot. You will be in groups of 5-10 depending on how busy they are. They are always busy even in winter. The sun is not overhead as long in winter months. Try to book 10am or noon tour, for best photos. It will be cold 30's, 40's. Don't be shy, the guides know every camera, that hundreds of thousands of visitors bring into the Canyons. They are happy to help , even the season pros , with the best settings for optimum photos. Tip them generously, they work hard to get you the money shots. The tour prices have climbed. Expect to pay about 95.00 to 115. For about 3 hrs. Make a reservation about a month ahead. Monument valley is a different animal. You can drive through on your own, and get the same photos as with a tour. The tours are loaded with cell phone shooters. You can spend as much time as you like at each monument when in your own vehicle. Again cool temps in the am and late afternoon, and windy. If it's warming during the day and cold at night, you may encounter morning fog in January. Check the weather and plan to be there when fog lifts. Sedona is a 200 mile drive from Antelope Canyon. Well worth it. Sedona sits at an elevation of about 5000 ft., there may be a dusting of snow in Jan. which may enhance your photos. From Sedona you are about 185 miles from the Grand Canyon. Enjoy.

My wife and I visited Mon Valley in September for the 1st time as well as upper and lower Antelope canyon. We stayed at The View and it is exactly at the entrance to MV where Gouldings is a couple of miles away. The View was great, couldn't be better for watching the sunset or sunrise unless you were down on the loop road. The restaurant had great food, overall, no complaints. We may be back there in January and staying at Gouldings because we will have our dog with us. Definitely take the loop road at least once. You should have wide angle to longer zooms to take advantage of the different photo stops along the road.

As far as Antelope canyon, you absolutely should do one or both of them. In September it was very disappointing. I booked the "photography" tour for the upper canyon and it was so crowded I couldn't even use my tripod much of the time. I would think January has many fewer people visiting the area.

You also should do a sunrise or sunset at Horseshoe Bend, it is quite amazing.

Here are a couple of photos, the one is the restaurant at The View.

The Four Corners region is amazing, if you are short on time, head to Page Az, if you are driving, you can visit the Glen Canyon Dam, highly recommended and then head east through the Navajo Nation, Monument Valley is a large open area, if you have that extra time, stay over-nite in Bluff not Mexican Hat, they are both in Southern Utah. You can make a day trip to Bears Ears before Republicans in Utah ruin the entire designated monument. Oh and if you rent a car, get the SUV, Flagstaff gets a lot of snow During the holidays I know because I drive that route every year between the holidays from S.L.C. to Phoenix. I also have been through that entire area of the Four Corners, you could spend a month back and fourth studying the area because the weather changes daily, and if you do, always check weather reports and local people who know the area, you don't want to get stranded or get lost and! stay out of riverbeds and canyon hikes if a storm is approaching, the run off begins fifty miles away and even in flat area driving conditions, if it is raining, any off road activity, you don't want to get caught in red sandstone mudddddd.