krashdragon

If you find yourself on I40 in Arizona, and see a sign that says Twin Arrow Casino, they have a dang good restaurant. You do need to call for a dinner reservation, no biggie. They have Navajo raised grass fed beef, no additives of any kind. Delicious. Really good, exceptional service. Everytime I can, I stop, haven't had anything but excellent meals. I drive a big truck, so I get past there a couple times a year.
Not always at dinnertime, tho. :0(
I'm a big fan of casinos with semi parking, the restaurants are usually way better than most truck stops.
Twin Arrows is better than most.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

That's The place are they train astronauts because the terrain is just like the Moon.

harveyalt

I have been living in Scottsdale for the past 15 years. A few years ago we took at trip around Northern AZ. You have received good advice from other hoggers in that you should leave the sites in Utah for another trip.
Our trip started with a stop at Sunset Crater NM, which is one of the sites that the moon astronauts trained at. Just up the road is Waputki NM. Plenty of photogenic pueblo ruins at both sites. You could also stop at Walnut Canyon, if you can deal with a lot of stairs. From there we went to Tuba City where we stayed at the beautiful Hopi owned and run Moenkopi Legacy Inn. From there we went to the Hopi Villages, but if you are only interested in photography, you can skip. Photography is not allowed in the villages. From Tuba City, drive east to Monument Valley. We stayed at Gouldings, which was excellent. The other choice is the View, which was sold out at the time we visited (October). These are the only places that are close enough to the park that you don't waste time going back and forth. In Monument Valley you should hire a native guide. If you have enough time you should also take a tour of Mystery Valley. Technically, you are not allowed in most areas without a guide, but we did see some tourists in their own cars. Driving in the park is risky because the roads are not paved, and if you are after a rain, you can get stuck in the sand. We noticed that the locals were in no hurry to help the private cars out of the sand. Our next stop was Chinle and Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Shay). There is a road that runs around the upper levels of the park that you can drive on. To see the bottom of the canyon, a must, you must take a tour. Return via route 191 through Ganado. Stop at the Hubbel Trading post. Continue down 191 to I40 west. You will pass the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert in the same park. This is worth at least a drive through. There are some short hikes from the parking areas that you should take. Continue west to Holbrook and stay and eat at La Posada. The hotel was not yet ready when we took our trip, but it was looking very good. The restaurant was wonderful. Go to Standin' on the Corner park, buy a tee shirt and move on. Continue west on I40 to I17 south back to Phoenix. When you get home, you will need a rest.

RichKenn Loc: Merritt Island, FL

All of the advice you have received is good. You only need six weeks! I will add one more. While in Moab be sure to visit Dead Horse Point State Park. It has the most incredible views of Canyon Lands I have ever seen.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Nobody ever mentions Slide Rock State Park in Sedona!!!

harveyalt

Slide Rock SP is a great place to take the kids, but not central to a photographic tour. Sedona has it's own photogenic areas, both touristy and out of the way. Others have mentioned the Pink Jeeps tours, which are great for photography and gut wrenching experiences. I didn't include Sedona in my trip description because of the limited time the OP has. The trip I described was done in five or six days, and was pretty jam packed already.

AZ has many more things to see and do, and in the fifteen years I have lived here, and several trips here before moving, I have still not seen most of them.