South-West Photo trip advice neeeded

[larkvi]

A good thing to be aware of , but I've spent an awful lot of time in the desert southwest from Texas through California, and I haven't seen a rattlesnake in over 20 years.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=74484\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Well, I am only 25, and I have seen them three or four times in California, but I will concur they are not that common. It is merely a safe habit to be in, and I recall some of the areas in El Malpais National Monument looking like prime rattlesnake territory--that said, I met none.

[Win]

Good advice on being careful where you put your hands. After 1 1/2 yrs in SW Utah I've never seen a rattler but they are here, three have been kiled by neighbors very close to our home! Don't put your hands in cracks and crevasses without looking.

I think you're getting some good advice on things to see but people are taking you all over the map! From your itinary it looks like you'll have limited time in SW Utah and doing it all is impossible. Make good use of a map and you'll see alot!

Driving is very easy in this area, few cars and decent roads. You can cover alot of territory in a day! It's nothing for me to drive 200 plus miles and do a hike or two in a
day.

Here is a link to some pages I keep up:  www.winpics.fototime.com and  
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/a8e78/

Win

[azmike]

Lucas,   You'll have a wonderful trip.  Your original question asked about essential items.

You need the one and only map:  "Indian Country Guide Map" published by the Automobile Club of Southern California and available thru AAA.  It's ISBN 1-56413-650-7.  This is the map used by the Hillerman's Lt. Leaphorn to plot the murder mystery clues across the Four Corners region of the Southwest......and it's got every sand track you'll dare to take.  In one detailed map it covers southern Utah, northern Arizona and eastward to Santa Fe.  I have worn out a dozen copies during countless backcountry trips into this wonderful geology.

Mike

[boondock]

Hello everyone,

I am preparing for an upcoming photographic trip with my father in the South-West from Sept 18th - Oct 7th. We are both advanced amateurs in terms of technique, though this will be our first real trip since making the switch to digital about a year ago and we have never been to the area. It's all a bit of an unknown.

I am writing to get any advice or feedback from people about things we may not have thought of to bring or prepare for. If you have any specific advice about equipment, clothing, or generally what to expect, please do comment.

Here's a basic itinerary:

We land in vegas, head off very early the next morning for Zion. From there we go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon where we will spend 2/3 nights at Jacoblake. From there we head to Monument Valley for another 3 nights (we booked a 4-5 hour morning photo tour with Tom Phillips). We will be staying in Kayenta for 3 nights so if you have any other photographic opportunities to suggest we would love to hear them. From there we head to Santa Fe where we will be staying and relaxing for two weeks. We have not yet made any specific plans for that part of our trip.

Here is some equipment we will bring:
-Cameras & lenses
-Filters
-Pocket drives and laptops
-WhiBal reference
-Tripods

One thing I am hesitating about is my tripod situation. I have two:

A Manfrotto 055C with a 029 head http://stephenkin.tripod.com/images/055c.jpg and http://www.digit-photo.com/MANFROTTO_029_R...C0-p-MAN029.jpg and I also  have a more amateur and lightweight model http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...u=283689&is=REG. The first one  easily weighs 2.5 times the first one, but I'm unsure about the stability I can expect from the lighter one. I'm not a big guy and will already be hauling a lot of gear for my size so the hesitation is there. Any advice? I'm not using any super telephotos or anything.

Here are some things we still need and need advice for:
-Sensor cleaning equipment - anyone have anything to recommend? Never done it before. We both use Nikon D200 BTW.
-Small LED flashlights.

Clothing and misc:
-Hiking boots
-Sun screen
-Water bottles

I was thinking about ordering either Laurent Martres' book, Photographing The Southwest Vol. 2 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/091618909...8?redirect=true, or just getting a few specific articles from Photograph America: http://www.photographamerica.com/collectsw.htm. Has anyone used either of these? Would they recommend one over the other?

Finally, if anyone has an advice on photographing in these areas, little things to think about both photographically and in terms of comfort, please let me know.

Thank-you all in advance if you've even read this far!

Lucas
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=72959\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Hello Lucas
I lived in Albq. for 5 years and spent many weekends exploring the area.  Since you will be in SF for two weeks I would suggest going south on HiWay 14 to Madrid, and Cerrillos, Cerrillos is an old western town, they shot Young Guns their. Madrid is an artists haven with a very cool bar on the south end of town.  There are many great views along the way.
If you head north out of SF toward Los Alamos take HiWay 4 it will take you past one of the largest calderas in the county.  Find a good forest service map there are some very passable back roads that lead to beautiful over looks.
I might try a day trip to Jemez Springs there is a great soda dam there and an old mission and some cool info about the pueblo revolt in the 1600's.
If you are up for a little longer trip head south to the Bosci del Apache, should be some great birds in the area around that time.  Again get a good map as there are many ruins in the area that do not get a lot of visiters.  Depending on the lunar cycle some great night shots can be made at these old ruins.  Dress warm it will drop 30 to 40 degrees at night.
Have a great time
Boondock