Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Landscape Photography Locations => Topic started by: Kathy on February 12, 2010, 06:52:08 pm
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Hi
I'm looking for lots of advice. We are leaving the UK for San Francisco next week to join a photographic workshop visiting Yosemite N.P., Alabama Hills and Death Valley. That part of the trip is taken care of, we have been on several US workshops with this company and it has always been a very successful trip.
Now comes the difficult bit, we leave the workshop in Las Vegas on March 6 and want to spend the following week in Southern Utah. We are reasonably familiar with the area but always visited in the Autumn (Fall). So we are looking for suggestions as to the best photographic locations to visit in March. We have Laurent Martres book on photographing S. Utah to help with locations but want to fine tune our choices with specific reference to the time of year (March)
Thanks for your ideas.
Kathy
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Now comes the difficult bit, we leave the workshop in Las Vegas on March 6 and want to spend the following week in Southern Utah. We are reasonably familiar with the area but always visited in the Autumn (Fall). So we are looking for suggestions as to the best photographic locations to visit in March. We have Laurent Martres book on photographing S. Utah to help with locations but want to fine tune our choices with specific reference to the time of year (March)
I am also only familiar with this area in the fall. But I assume that Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park are equally viable this time of year.
You might also post this question on the landcape photography forum on FredMiranda.com, which I have found useful:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/46 (http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/46)
Paul
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Kathy,
if you have access to it, try to get a copy of Laurent Martrés' "Photographing the Southwest", Volume 1, Southern Utah. Excellent book with very good description and pictures, even though I was not always happy with its accuracy (or, rather, with the lack of it).
Btw, though it's Arizona but it is "on the way", don't forget the Antelope Canyons. There are two of them, not far from each other. The Upper one is simpler, smaller, walk-through (judged from the pictures I saw); the Lower Canyon is much more interesting, though more difficult too. DO NOT GO IN IF ITS RAINY, although the Navajo Indians would not let you in anyway. Take a pair of jogging shoes without socks; there might be water ponds inside. Be prepared to wash the shoes afterwards, except if it is really dry. Be prepared to get somewhat dirty (only sandy) inside. Btw, Laurent Martrés wrote a nice travel book about Arizona as well.
My "Antelope Guide" is at Antelope Blathering (http://www.panopeeper.com/albums/AntelopeCanyon.htm)
Shoot raw if you can, because the color is a problem. Take some white card with and shoot it several times. "Proper" white balancing is nonsensical, you get boring colors; the world looks differently down there, so use the WB card shot as a starting point only.
Have much fun
Gabor
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Hi
I'm looking for lots of advice. We are leaving the UK for San Francisco next week to join a photographic workshop visiting Yosemite N.P., Alabama Hills and Death Valley. That part of the trip is taken care of, we have been on several US workshops with this company and it has always been a very successful trip.
Now comes the difficult bit, we leave the workshop in Las Vegas on March 6 and want to spend the following week in Southern Utah. We are reasonably familiar with the area but always visited in the Autumn (Fall). So we are looking for suggestions as to the best photographic locations to visit in March. We have Laurent Martres book on photographing S. Utah to help with locations but want to fine tune our choices with specific reference to the time of year (March)
Thanks for your ideas.
Kathy
Don't miss Bryce Canyon.
Jeremy
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Several years ago I visited a place called The Valley of the Gods; this is not too far north of Monument Valley, near Mexican Hat. It's like a miniature Monument Valley, but you might be the only people there. Worth a visit if you are in that area.
I was there in the Fall, so am not sure about the time year.
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Take warm clothes. I was there last March and it was very uncomfortable, especially when windy.
Kodachrome Basin was a pleasant surprise - the Burr trail accesses this area from the south, ending in Capital Reef.
Pariah Canyon looked very tempting, although I had to pass on it for this trip.
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Take warm clothes. I was there last March and it was very uncomfortable, especially when windy.
Kodachrome Basin was a pleasant surprise - the Burr trail accesses this area from the south, ending in Capital Reef.
Pariah Canyon looked very tempting, although I had to pass on it for this trip.
Kodachrome Basin is on our potentials list as is Old Paria, but paria Canyon, is at a 15 mile round trip hike a bit even a lot to far for a winter walk.
Panopeeper I have Martres book, it is guiding our plans. Enjoyed your images of Antelope, we were there a few years ago in the Fall
Zion and Bryce are also possible because we like them so much. Apart from Capitol Reef we have visited all the National Parks in the area but always in the fall, We will revisit the major attractions if they offer potential for different shots in the winter. What we are really looking for are less well known but maybe smaller places that offer good potential for winter shooting.
Thanks
Kathy
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Capitol Reef National Park, and the Burr Trail. I've been there several times and going again first week in april. Highly recommended for landscape photography! Eleanor
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Moab as base camp works, then visit Arches, Canyonlands, and the La Sal mountains..
You can't go wrong.
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Capitol Reef National Park, and the Burr Trail. I've been there several times and going again first week in april. Highly recommended for landscape photography! Eleanor
I second that. I loved Capitol Reef and the Burr Trail on my first visit to Utah last April.
Eric
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As suggested, check out the Fred Miranda forums. Lots of hardcore landscape shooters hang out there - the depth of knowledge is impressive.
In the meantime, give these placemarks a look, they ought to keep you busy. http://tinyurl.com/yl6bcge (http://tinyurl.com/yl6bcge)
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I once took the road out from Moab toward the San Juans in Colorado. Delores river, Telluride, middle of nowheresville USA
Saw a lightning storm out on the wide open desert coming for us twelve miles distant curleycews and flashes that made sounds.
Anyway don't know about the snow and passes this time of year-
Easily life threatening if you have no provisions, so have water blankets food flares etc. if you go.
Don't run the car motor for heat, use your blankets.
Have chains.
Anyway, I forget the name of the place, but out from moab toward that area I said, there are unbelievable valleys and open deserts, if you get to the base of the continental divide, you'll see wilderness like in picture books is right.
But the weather is always a factor this time of year.
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If you plan on going to Kodachrome Basin, keep an eye on the weather. That road is lethally impassable when it gets muddy.
If you get to the Burr Trail, then you 'must' continue to the Escalante (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument) - a lot of potential for slot canyons, etc. Many hikes can be done as a relatively easy day hike.
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Mid March, 2009. Approaching the Waterpocket Fold, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Between Boulder, UT and Kodachrome Basin. 20 kph road, lots of washboard. In one entire day out there, I saw 2 other vehicles. In other words: photographic heaven.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2705/4362782302_d34ea28600_o.jpg)
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Don't miss the switchbacks climbing up/down the waterpocket fold east of Boulder and the Burr Trail. they'er easy and a passenger car do them. spectacular scenery and while in Boulder don't miss a meal at the Hell's Backbone Grill....it is world famous for unique and delicious food!!! Eleanor
quote name='Peter McLennan' date='Feb 16 2010, 04:42 PM' post='347381']
Mid March, 2009. Approaching the Waterpocket Fold, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Between Boulder, UT and Kodachrome Basin. 20 kph road, lots of washboard. In one entire day out there, I saw 2 other vehicles. In other words: photographic heaven.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2705/4362782302_d34ea28600_o.jpg)
[/quote]
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Kodachrome Basin is on our potentials list as is Old Paria, but paria Canyon, is at a 15 mile round trip hike a bit even a lot to far for a winter walk.
The Old Paria townsite has a nice primitive campground. Bring your own water.
Paria Canyon IS a long tromp. Try Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch instead, they are only a mile or so from the trail head.
You mentioned Kodachrome Basin. If you do visit, take the time to hike Willis Creek and/or Round Valley Draw slot canyons, both about 30 minutes away. RVD requires a ~1 km hike from the trailhead, Willis Creek begins 100 yards from the road... Both require driving over dirt roads that are impassable after substantial rain.
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One of the little known gems of SW Utah is Goblin Valley near San Rafael Reef.
Another part if you have an extremely heavy duty 4WD as well as an experienced off road driver is Elephant Hill which leads to Chesler Park. Stunning.
Last with the same parameters as I just mentioned, the Maze is worth the effort.
Now I want to go too!
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Hi
I'm looking for lots of advice. We are leaving the UK for San Francisco next week to join a photographic workshop visiting Yosemite N.P., Alabama Hills and Death Valley. That part of the trip is taken care of, we have been on several US workshops with this company and it has always been a very successful trip.
Now comes the difficult bit, we leave the workshop in Las Vegas on March 6 and want to spend the following week in Southern Utah. We are reasonably familiar with the area but always visited in the Autumn (Fall). So we are looking for suggestions as to the best photographic locations to visit in March. We have Laurent Martres book on photographing S. Utah to help with locations but want to fine tune our choices with specific reference to the time of year (March)
Thanks for your ideas.
Kathy
Hi, Kathy,
We rented a car in Las Vegas and went on a photo vacation through the parks in Utah and a couple of resorts in Colorado (Aspen, Vail, Boulder). We had done the same in Arizona the year before so didn't include Grand Canyon, which I recommend visiting very highly. I put it on the web at:
iShutterbug.com (http://www.ishutterbug.com/Default.aspx)
This is some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. Enjoy!
Don
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Hi, Kathy,
We rented a car in Las Vegas and went on a photo vacation through the parks in Utah and a couple of resorts in Colorado (Aspen, Vail, Boulder). We had done the same in Arizona the year before so didn't include Grand Canyon, which I recommend visiting very highly. I put it on the web at:
iShutterbug.com (http://www.ishutterbug.com/Default.aspx)
This is some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. Enjoy!
Don
Hi All
Many thanks for all your advice, it has given me lots of food for thought. I understand there has been considerable rainfall around Las Vegas so we will hold off finalising our plans until we arrive in L.V. But it is unlikely we will go further than Capitol Reef unless conditions are very bad close to L.V. and then we will probably go straight to Moab.
We arrived Yosemite Sunday afternoon to rain which turned to snow. Wonderful shooting yesterday, snow and bright blue skies (maybe to blue). Nice light on Horsetail falls but no liquid fire. This morning good early in El Cap meadow. Afternoon grey and flat, tonight it's raining. So we just hope it gets better before we leave for Lone Pine on Friday.
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I live in Moab so my advice is probably slightly biased. If I were you, I would base out of Moab and visit Arches, Canyonlands and Dead Horse Pt. SP. The weather has been highly variable with amazing clouds, and there still are very few tourists out and about. It is likely that you could visit and photograph some of the iconic locations without fighting the hordes of photographers that will arrive in less than a month. Some access to off-the-beaten path locations will be restricted due to poor road conditions but all the main viewpoints and photo locations are wide open for the taking.
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Thanks for all your advice. As the weather, by British standards, was challenging at times last week we limited our visit to Capitol Reef, Bryce and Zion. With a nice dump of snow Capitol Reef looked wonderful and we had the park practically to ourselves. It was a great first visit. Unfortunately Scenic Highway 12 could not live up to its reputation as we travelled much of it in a snow blizzard. It was our third visit to Bryce but under a heavy covering of snow there were many new photographic opportunities. We enjoyed a good sunrise shoot with just one other photographer. Again Zion was dusted with snow but we enjoyed sunshine and very good photographic conditions.
Once again California and Utah lived up to our expectations, I just wish I lived close enough to enjoy it more often.
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Thanks, Kathy, for the follow up.
Weather in that part of the world in March can be harsh, as I discovered last March. : )
It's a truism of landscape photography that bad weather quite often makes for good pictures. Hope you post some here.
Peter
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Might I suggest, "The Wave"? or Zion? or Glen Canyon?
(http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy356/richyvg03/201001%20Utah/IMG_2308.jpg)
(http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy356/richyvg03/201001%20Utah/IMG_2159.jpg)
(http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy356/richyvg03/201001%20Utah/IMG_2353.jpg)
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Very few things as beautiful as snow on red rocks. You seem to have been very fortunate in your choice of travel times. For tourists like us, a huge part of photography is simply about timing. If conditions are poor, your resulting images will likely reflect that. We live for the kind of conditions you got...