What to bring to Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion!

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

04/12/2013 01:53:21 PM · #51

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

Originally posted by Neil:
Cool...so are you hiking at night with just a headlamp? Are others out and about or basically you're alone in the middle of nowhere except for the bears and snakes? I'm a little nervous about hiking alone in the dark!

Well, I had friends ( scarbrd was probably ten feet to the left taking pictures as well). There are not many people around at night. We did have headlamps and, in fact, painted the hoodoo with them. Most of the bears and the snakes will not ruin your pictures. A few are obnoxious and are constantly making faces and trying to get into the pictures.

Well at least you had a decoy for the bears! As they say you don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun your friends. ;)

Spork99

OM System OM-1

04/12/2013 02:00:44 PM · #52

I wouldn't worry too much about bears, there just aren't enough there to be concerned. Take a hiking GPS and use it to backtrack. I'd be most worried about getting lost on one of the nighttime side hikes to take sky photos. I prefer a map and compass, but a GPS is easier...just don't let the batteries run out.

04/12/2013 02:14:14 PM · #53

At Bryce just park at the General Store, head to the canyon rim and then walk north until you get what you want. Conversely go to the Navajo Loop and just walk into the canyon about an eighth of a mile until you get what you want. I promise you won't have to go far.

04/12/2013 02:17:23 PM · #54

What time were you out shooting?

04/12/2013 02:37:35 PM · #55

Originally posted by Neil:

What time were you out shooting?

I think we were out some nights until 3:00 or even later. But that's just guys being guys and it isn't necessary. :) Consult an ephemeris and if you shoot at least after the beginning of nautical twilight you should get good stuff.

Message edited by author 2013-04-12 14:38:33.

04/14/2013 05:39:45 PM · #56

We are trying to see if there's something we want to stop by on the last day, on our way from the GC to Las Vegas...the Hoover Dam is on the way per Alan's note...and we will definitely stop at least on the NV side of the bridge and shoot a few pics per Alan. We've never been to the Dam before, so I take it you folks also think it's worth going to the visitor center and walking the Dam as well?

Any other good options on the rid from GC to Vegas?

DrAchoo...is that pic with the water taken in the Narrows? How far in did you go...I don't plan on wading above my ankles ... I watched a YouTube video and they were swimming parts of it!

04/14/2013 05:52:19 PM · #57

Originally posted by Neil:

That pic is at the very end of the paved path to the Narrows.I took my shoes off and waded in ankle deep water.

Message edited by author 2013-04-14 17:52:49.

see

Canon PowerShot S95

04/14/2013 07:33:27 PM · #58

Neil, we visited the Hoover dam last weekend. The view from the bridge is cool, but, make sure you bring your widest lens. I have been trying to stitch together 8 images from my 50mm for the last week, not fun.(I think I need Lr to do it).
Vegas is a blast as a photographer, enjoy yourself..

04/15/2013 09:14:53 AM · #59

Originally posted by alans_world:

did you also visit the dam itself...visitor center, tours, or other? Was that worth the effort?

alanfreed

Nikon Z9

04/30/2013 12:46:18 PM · #60

Originally posted by Neil:

did you also visit the dam itself...visitor center, tours, or other? Was that worth the effort?

Sorry to resurrect this after a couple weeks... :)

It doesn't take much extra time to drive down and experience the dam up close. I'd definitely recommend stopping down and experiencing it up close. It's pretty cool to peer over the edge, and of course... spit :)

We did the power plant tour, which was interesting. I'm not sure if it's a "must-do" or not, but it was interesting to take the elevator down into the dam and see the giant generators that supply so much of the region's power.

The Visitor Center is right near the parking garage. Seems to me there were a bunch of pictures of the building of the dam, blah blah blah. I don't remember too much about the displays, but we did wander through it.

05/25/2013 02:36:39 PM · #61

Well I have been back for weeks, and while I've browsed through the photos, I've only just begun to process them (other than the two quick processing jobs I used in challenge entries!).

Part of that is the fact that I took almost 5000 shots in the 10 day trip. Really the shot count is almost three times that (14000), because I shoot bracketed a lot, just "in case". Though really, I rarely process shots as HDR, so I should stop that.

This also makes me think, because really I can't "use" all those photos. I'd be happy if I get 20-30 good shots out of the batch, 10-15 suitable for hanging in shows. That's my goal, anyway. I sure wish I was one of those shooters who could hold back and then shoot 30 shots and get 20-30 that are usable!

Anyway, the deed is done. Now I need inspiration to go through them. I think I'll start posting here for feedback. (We'll see how long that lasts!)

Here's the first few...from the plane on the trip over. I'm not positive, but the first looks like Horseshoe Bend...or maybe there's a lot of places that look like that?

Can anyone identify the locations?

Message edited by author 2013-05-25 14:48:59.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

06/07/2013 08:21:38 PM · #62

Ok, I'm still working on a system to get through these. But posting my favorites here might be one way to inspire me. Here's one I took at the end of our Marble Canyon subtrip. Marble Canyon is part of the Grand Canyon, and this was my last day there before heading to the south rim. This was taken from our guide's "front yard". :) His backyard is just a couple of hops from the Colorado river. Those are the Vermillion cliffs and Chocolate Cliffs in the background.

This is with the RX100. (Seems those are easier for me to process, though this one is RAW anyway.)

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

06/07/2013 08:53:07 PM · #63

Did you shoot that handheld or on a tripod?

06/07/2013 09:13:10 PM · #64

Nice sky!

06/07/2013 10:16:36 PM · #65

Originally posted by GeneralE:

Did you shoot that handheld or on a tripod?

It's handheld...1/125th and a tiny little camera (that's 20mp).

Here's another...this one is a sweep panorama from the Navajo Bridge early AM (I was there for sunrise, but this is shortly after).