Costa Rica
http://www.goin2travel.com/costarica/resources.htm
I lived in Montana. Yellowstone snowed in. Everything closed, except West Yellowstone, that has as much character as a strip mall.
I went to school in London. Rain and overcast. Scotland is way up there, so sun (if you ever see it) rises late and sets early. Check on-line resources for actual time for Inverness if you don't believe me.
How brave are you? Yellowstone is stunning in the winter, but it's difficult to get to the places you might want to photograph. If you could rent a snowmobile and go about on that (be safe about it, lots of extra gas, survival gear, et cetera) you could come out with some really unique shots without the crowds Yellowstone has in the summer now.
Hi Mike,Originally Posted by Mike Chini
honestly, I did not find Grand Canyon and Sedona as prime photography locations in the Southwest area. I know - this is not a common opinion. I have been to Sedona last Christmas/New Year and did not take any image, during last trip to GC North Rim I took only one and, I must admit, it was an image of old death tree trunk in a ponderosa pine forest, could be taken anywhere.
In my experience, even though GC and Sedona are indeed great places for sightseeing, there are many better landscape photoraphy locations in the area. For instance slot canyons of Grand Staircase Escalante, Paria Rimrocks, Paited Desert, Capitol Reef to mention only some of them.
cheers,
Jan
Thanks everyone for the very helpful responses!
First off, while cold doesn't bother me, rain and darkness do! So that may force me to put off Scotland. Nonetheless, I find that traveling to places at unusual times often results in unique shooting opportunities. The reason I chose these 2 possibilities is that both offer tons of unrestricted shooting opportunities.
John - I don't really know what I'll be shooting! I have many open (endless?) projects on which I'm working and can pursue numerous ones almost anywhere. What I'm really looking for is:
a mimimum of tourists!
to be left alone and not harassed while photographing!
peace and quiet
an occasional pint (or some amazing undiscovered single-malt!)
Jan-
Good to know. Thanks. That wouldn't surprise me one bit. Sometimes the most extraordinary photographs are taken in the most 'unextraordinary' locations!
Well, if I do choose to go W/SW, I haven't narrowed down exactly where I'll go to shoot. Nonetheless, I do want to see the GC desperately if only for a day or two!
Take what I call the grand tour. Start at Moab, UT.
Arches,
Canyonlands
Goblin Valley state park
Capital reef
The escalante
Bryce
Zion
Paria/Buckskin Gulch - usually empty in November
This kind of ends the grand tour, There are all kinds of spots in between the above so get a map like Delomes Utah Atlas and Gazetter and check it out.
From here you can hit the Grand Canyon. The main Park on the North rim will be closed at this time of year but you can get to the west part. Fire point and Thunder river aren't part of the main park area. Depending on the Snow they have good roads to them. The South rim is always open and unless you are going on to Sedonna is a bit out of the way when coming from the north.
Then if you wish you can hit Sedonna, Actually the best place in this area is up Oak Creek Canyon, West Oak Creek is one of my fav's. I used to live in Phoenix and it and West Clear creek were where 2 of my favorite spots.
After this you might want to hit Monument Valley. It is a magical place and in late November has few visitors.
Best of luck, have a good time and ENJOY
Alan.
Last edited by Alan Rabe; 14-Oct-2006 at 18:37.
The thing about Scotland at that time of year (or anywhere else in the British Isles for that matter - and for most times of the year) is that you could get 10 days of glorious weather, or you could get two weeks of non-stop rain and wind; there is absolutely no way of knowing in advance. The UK Weather Centre (www.metoffice.co.uk) has some of the most powerful supercomputers outside of the military and still gets the 48 hour forecast wrong half the time...
However, if you are interested in other than landscape shots, there are a host of indoor (church, cathedral, castle etc) opportunities should the weather drive you indoors, not to mention a large assortment of nice warm pubs...
The North West of Scotland is generally considered the most photogenic. Not trying to put you off, but if I were touring I'd wait until April or May when there is a better chance of good weather and snow is likely on the peaks. In any event, you will need to hire a car to get around.
Good luck, Bob.
I love to visit England and Scottland in the timeframe you are considering. However I can't recall not getting at least drizzled on almost every day we've been there during this period. Still, there have been numerous times even then when sun has come out and made for many nice photographs. Tourist numbers are definitely down, but not out. You still will see many at the most famous stops. Getting out and away from major spots should almost guarantee some quiet time.
Stew
okay- see what's happening here right now; www.lochnessexperience.co.uk
Mike,
I do agree. In my personal experience when I attempt to photograph in locations such as famous national parks I usually do not make any images at I get "calendar" type landscapes. For me the only exception was Point Lobos. I prefer to photograph more "usual" scenes, even though for a European living in Southwest it is not too easy.
GC is indeed a stuning place to see. However, there is so much to see around the area. If you decide to visit this area I would suggest to go to www.americansouthwest.net. You may like to take the opportunity to visit other places next to GC.
cheers,
Jan
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks