USA Advice

[Doc]

Hi to one and all.

Myself and a mate are travelling to the US from Australia and we were wondering if any of you out there may be able to offer us some advise on your travels in and around the US for the more "photographic" areas of the following areas that we will be in.


New York
Washington
Louisville
Chicago
Las Vegas
LA
Yosemite
San Francisco

We will be in the states for about 3.5 weeks and we will have a car in most areas.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thankyou.


*Sorry should have mentioned - we are leaving Australia on the 15th of Sept 06.

[Paul Sumi]

A good place to start looking for information is here:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/locations/

Paul

[Geoff Wittig]

Nice trip!
You should probably specify whether you're interested primarily in landscape/nature subjects or broader tourist fare. I can speak to New York at least. It's arguably the most photogentic American city for urban street and architectural work; you can spend weeks there alone. For nature stuff, head north to the Adirondacks, which are (mostly) tree-covered mountains up to 1600 meters with countless lakes and streams. Depending on your timing, you might catch peak fall foliage color.

[Lester]

Here is a link for the Southwest, which will show you all the key attaction: http://www.americansouthwest.net/index.shtml  

It seems that each state have it's Wow icon. Navada have Las Vegas, California have the Golden Gate Bridge, New York have New York City. It is a image of a land or city scape that people will know, where it is. Even thou it is photograph  a billion time.

Hi to one and all.

Myself and a mate are travelling to the US from Australia and we were wondering if any of you out there may be able to offer us some advise on your travels in and around the US for the more "photographic" areas of the following areas that we will be in.
New York
Washington
Louisville
Chicago
Las Vegas
LA
Yosemite
San Francisco

We will be in the states for about 3.5 weeks and we will have a car in most areas.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thankyou.
*Sorry should have mentioned - we are leaving Australia on the 15th of Sept 06.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=75658\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

[matt4626]

If landscape is of interest drive from San Fransico to LA via Highway 1. Big Sur is a must see IMHO. Although do not miss Yosemite what ever you do!

[raptorsys]

Hi to one and all.

Myself and a mate are travelling to the US from Australia and we were wondering if any of you out there may be able to offer us some advise on your travels in and around the US for the more "photographic" areas of the following areas that we will be in.
New York
Washington
Louisville
Chicago
Las Vegas
LA
Yosemite
San Francisco

We will be in the states for about 3.5 weeks and we will have a car in most areas.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thankyou.
*Sorry should have mentioned - we are leaving Australia on the 15th of Sept 06.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=75658\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

If you arrive in the USA by mid September I'd visit the east first and then head out west later as that would take you a bit further away from the heat of summer here. If you expect to be in the west by late Spetember I would recommend going through Death Valley, but if much earlier than this DV may be hotter (about 120F) than you might like.  If the late fall or winter time I'd not recommend Mono Lake as Tioga Pass to Yosemite will likely be closed as it can be closed as early as late September but more commonly late October or November.

So, assuming you plan to be here in late September I'd hit Vegas for the night life thing but would recommend the Valley Of Fire on the north east end of Lake Mead (about 60-70 miles from LV).  From Vegas go through Death Valley and then head north west towards Lone Pine.  From there head north on US 395 towards Lee Vining and Mono Lake will be just east of town.  If you have some time you might want to hit the ghost town of Bodie before heading west from Lee Vining (SR 120 or Tioga Pass) to Yosemite.  After Yosemite I'd head west to Napa Valley and then south to San Francisco.  And from there take US 1, better known as the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), all the way to LA.

There are so many things to see from Vegas to LA on this route and the drive is pretty nice to.  Be sure to keep an eye open for interesting sights between the major attractions.

Depending on what interests you I might plan on 2 weeks on the east coast and 1.5 weeks out west, but if landscape photography go the other way with 1.5 weeks back east and 2 weeks out west.  In fact, if you have a strong preference for landscape then maybe a bit more than two weeks out west and maybe start in the Salt Lake City area and hit some of the spots between SLC and LV.  There are too many places to name but there's Bryce and Zion National Park as well as Lake Powell/Page area and the Grand Canyon.

If you wish for more specific information you can learn a lot on the internet but I'll be here to answer any questions you might have.

Brian

[Lisa Nikodym]

If you can spare a few days while in the San Francisco area, I'd recommend driving north up 101 to get to the region of old-growth redwood forests, between about Garberville and the Oregon border.  The best are in Humboldt Redwoods State Park and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.  But even if you don't have time to do that, you can get a taste of it by visiting Muir Woods (a little north of the Golden Gate) as an easy day trip out of San Fran.  Redwood forests are amazing places.  If you haven't seen truly enormous trees, you should try it.

Lisa

[eleanorbrown]

When you are in Las Vegas, I would suggest driving to Death Valley as it's a short drive--a couple of hours or so.  See Zabrinsky Point at dawn, hike up Golden Canyon, get some photos of the sand dunes, Badwater, etc.  

Driving east from Las Vegas, you can got to Zion National Park  and other southern utah parks depending on how much time you have.  There is no place quite like southern utah---it is incredible and one of my favorite places.  I have some images on my web site of this area under "older work" so you can see what kind of opportunities are available to photograph.

Have a great time!  Eleanor

[juanpizarro]

...Washington...

Do you mean Washington State or D.C.?

[Peter McLennan]

Driving in North America, you need the "Rand McNally Road Atlas", available at any Wal Mart for about $5.

If you're in Vegas, don't miss Death Valley.  Unique in the world.  Leave LV well before dawn, return after dark.  "Dante's View" will blow you away.  Plan to be there around sunset on your way back to Vegas.  A long day, but a memorable one.  Just do it.  

[elkhornsun]

Great guide is the PhotoSecrets book by Andrew Hudson, "San Francisco and Northern California" which includes a good deal of information on photographing Yosemite as well. I have lived in California all my life and spent a lot time in San Francisco and in Yosemite and found a lot of useful advice including sample photos from different vantage points that were very helpful.

The author even provides info on best time of day which helps with your travel planning. Having been born and raised in the LA area I would focus on the surrounding San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains and the upper and lower deserts (Palmdale and  Palm Springs areas). The coast has been destroyed by condos and parking lots which is why the central and northern California are so special by way of comparison. The coast is beautiful down to Santa Barbara and from there I would head inland.

If you are going to be in San Francisco and Yosemite, you should seriously consider spending a little time in Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur area before you head south to LA.

There is beautiful countryside in the southern Sonoran deserts around Palm Springs and the tram takes you into the Mt. San Jacinto wilderness area in minutes from the desert floor. Tahquitz is a popular rock climbing (bouldering) area that is also great for photography.

http://www.sierraphotography.com/tahquitz/tahquitz.htm

cheers,

Bruce