Photographic Tour Of Utah and Arizona

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Hi

My first time here, so lots to read, but I am hoping one or two of you
could advise me?

I'm off on a photographic dream tour shortly that starts with the likes of
Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, the Pacific Coast High Way,
Carmel and San Francisco.

I've done this tour many times before, so know what delights I am in for in
California, but following on from that, I am heading into uncharted waters
and will head to Utah and Arizona for the first time.

Specifically visiting the Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell and
Grand Canyon Village (Yavapai Point) I wondered if anyone has been to these
areas and has any recommendations or tips with regard to finding the best
places to shoot and getting the best images?

Naturally I'll be up before dawn and there for sunset each day, but I would
be grateful to hear from others that have trodden these paths before.

Thanks in advance.
 
Welcome to the forums :) I have never been before but very jealous :p There are a fair few well traveled members on here and some yanks too so hopefully someone might have been that way before.

Look forward to seeing some shots when you get back ;)
 
I've been to Bryce and Zion (but in bad weather). There's endless opportunities at Bryce, I was only there a couple of hours but managed to get some good stuff towards sunset.

Here's some I got : Gallery

If you're in Utah you might also want to consider Canyonlands NP, some amazing overlooks up there.
 
I went to this area in 2002. I am afraid I can't show you any pictures as they are all film and have never got them scanned.

I would however recommend -

Zion - walking the narrows. Not sure about the photos, but this is just a fantastic experience - but you will need to travel light as you will get slightly wet. Not to be missed though.

If you can get to Arches National Park, it is also worth a visit.

I was underwhelmed by Bryce, I have to say.
 
Can't advise you on the best places to shoot but what I can tell you is you will need someone to carry your bags and as no-one else has applied may I be the first LOL :lol:
 
I wished I could have walked the narrows in Zion but it was the wrong time of year :(

Antelope Canyon is pretty surreal as well.
 
Hi There

I did a similar trip about 15 years ago and apart from a bit of snow here and there making the driving tricky it's a great time of the year to go.

The parks are very quiet, and the people you meet are happy to chat.

The number of times we were asked why we were on holiday "at this time of the year?".

My favourite was Bryce Canyon, not least because it snowed the first night we were there and the sunrise the next day on the snow covered hodos (sp?) was just amazing. Also remeber doing the short walk down from the lookout in falling snow and being asked by a coffe carrying Texan and his wife "does snow always look like this?" :lol:

If you can, arrange to stay at least 2 days at the Gand Canyon as the weather can be bad, we were very lucky and I got some great shots. There are great images everywhere you look but don't expect to shoot anything orriginal from any of the lookouts, having said that I still have some of the images I took up on the wall after all these years.

I was shooting slide film back then, but if I were to go again I would not skimp on the memory cards and whatever you do take a tripod, or some sort of clamp to fix your camera to the lookout rails.

Struggling in the failing light of a sunset to hold on to decent f stops isn't too easy.

One more piece of advice, if you are travelling with a non photographic partner you will need some ground rules about how much time you are going to be allowed to take photos (along the lines of enough is never enough, if you get my meaning).

Hope you have a great time.

David

PS Oh and I am also jealous you are going :)
 
Some great replies and advice so far, thank you.

WeddingHack - looking forward to having a long look at your wonderful
images later today. :)

I sadly already know I have too little time to do all I want, but see this as
a taster to a longer return trip at some stage, but I am just grateful I have
the chance to go and hope the weather will play ball with me!

I can't promise the best shots in the world upon my return, far from it.
I only bought my first DSLR last year (Nikon D40) but have had an amazing
time with it for 12 months and have just added the D90, but I will post for sure.

I was told this was a friendly forum and it appears so, so thank you for
making me feel welcome. :)
 
I would highly recommend that you get this excellent book

Photographing the Southwest by Laurent Martres from Amazon

http://SPAM/3h869e

Lots of out of the way places to see. Some requiring some hiking. Some just a short walk from parking. It's well worth buying, but needs careful reading and planning to see if a particular spot justifies the hike given time available. This book has lots of colour pictures, but be aware that other titles he does may have black & white pics. I bought a couple of others at the same time and found this, and but only a few photos as well. It wasn't mentioned in the Amazon blurb and they lacked the impact of the above one. Consequently I barely looked at them.

Contrary to an earlier comment, I found Bryce to be excellent. I've been there 3 times now. Once I walked down in to it, but when I was last there a year ago I didn't seem to be able to find the track leading down from the car park. I don't know if they've changed things, or stopped it, or made it a guided thing now. Accommodation - there's Ruby's Inn near the entrance which is a big tourist trap. But back down the road at the junction with the main road there's a perfectly adequate motel for half the price. There's Red Canyon on the road to/from Bryce. It has rock formations similar to Bryce, on the roadside. I've never walked anywhere from the car, but the roadside rocks are very photogenic.

I've been through Zion a few times and have found that to be underwhelming. To be honest I've only driven through and stopped on the roadside. I haven't seen anything to tempt me further from the car.

In the above book - Mokey Dugway - a twisty road up a mountain and down. Excellent drive with fantastic views. Scenic area with parking at the top.

Cedar Breaks Utah - ok but not worth a big detour. A mini-Bryce. Kodachrome Park and Snow Canyon - not worth it. Valley of Fire near Vegas - pretty good. Highway 95 - very scenic and worth a drive. I did part of it during daylight and part as it was getting dark and just had to re-plan the next day, go back and cover the bit I missed due to nightfall.

Grand Canyon - the south side has lots of stopping areas. If you can't get accommodation in the vicinity then Page is feasible as a base, doing Antelope at the same time. The north side of the GC does not offer good value, timewise.

Monument Valley - make sure you drive down in to it from the parking area and take a couple of hours driving around the various formations

Antelope Canyon, near Page. Must. Do both upper and lower. The lower gets overlooked but it's worth a look. The upper, which is the most popular, gets crowded, but I have been once where I was the only one there. It was in March though. There's also a horseshoe bend river not far away - on the same road - which is worth a look. I didn't quite get to see it as dark caught up with me. Again, in the book.

Cottonwood Canyon Road - need a 4x4 or SUV type of vehicle. It's not serious offroad stuff and I have seen saloon cars on it if you're confident and sure the weather will stay dry (and you had better be sure!). Dirt track/gravel road, scenic, exciting to drive and worth a go.

Gooseneck State Park - a series of horseshoe bends visible from a parking area. A quick stop but nice.

If you're venturing further north in to Utah then obviously Arches national park. But don't forget Dead Horse Point State Park not far away, with a nice view of a horseshoe bend, and Thelma and Louise Point (from the film). There's also a road below (Potash Road) that you can drive. Again, a 4x4/SUV vehicle required. On the way to DHP you can enter part of Canyonlands. It's a vast area and you'll only see part of it. If it's within your resources, then take a scenic flight with Redtail Aviation from Moab airport for spectacular views. I did one across Canyonlands down to and around Monument Valley, land for a short break, then back across Canyonlands via a different route. Spectacular scenery, sometimes like another planet. Nearly 3 hours for $230 (as of a year ago, so it may have gone up a bit).

Goblin State Park Utah - unusual and worth a look.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
 
If you go to Bryce, be sure to go back at about two in the morning, the night sky is just amazing.

Weddinghack - stunning photos!
 
Here are the only two pictures I can find of Bryce Canyon. Not sure if they were taken on the same occasion, I suspect not. Oh how I love EXIF data on digital pictures. Anyway here they are. Took us the best part of a day to drive the length of the Canyon stoppping at all the major look outs along the way.

Bryce.jpg


Bryce2.jpg


Oh and agree with all the comments made by MisterE, especially Canyonlands, I would go as far as to say the view from the main Canyonlands view point is a good as anything the Grand Canyon has - but there is only the one spot, not many as at the GC. View going down the Moki Dugway is fantastic - try Google for some pictures.

David
 
Here are some Mokey Dugway shots, taken on the way up


20071109_239_2.jpg


20071109_233_2.jpg



20071109_230_2.jpg
 
Some great advice and photos, thank you. :thumbs:

I have ordered the book 'Photographing the Southwest' but as I leave a week
today, I hope it arrives in time!

I must confess, Bryce was the place I was most looking forward to although
I had 2 nights booked at a hotel on the edge of Zion with only 1 night on the
edge of Bryce and was wondering if I should change that, but having now
looked at the aforementioned Narrows, that is a must see and it could take
a day to do it just in part.

I'm busy making a list of the various areas within Zion and Bryce that are
must visit, so all suggestions welcome.

Thanks again everyone.
 
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