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Thread: Two years in the US. Top locations?

  1. #11

    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Orange, CA
    Posts
    973

    Re: Two years in the US. Top locations?

    Here are some fine sources of photographic information:

    http://shop.photographamerica.com/category-s/46.htm

    Also flying into Salt Lake City or Las Vegas and renting a car for several days is a fabulous idea. Here are the best guidebooks around for the southwestern U.S.:

    http://www.amazon.com/Photographing-...7421510&sr=1-2
    http://www.amazon.com/Photographing-...7421510&sr=1-1
    http://www.amazon.com/Photographing-...7421510&sr=1-3

    Lastly, visiting Yosemite is a must if at all possible. It's one of the few places where you'll still see lots of LF cameras around:

    http://www.amazon.com/Photographers-...7421653&sr=1-1
    http://shop.photographamerica.com/product-p/023-pdf.htm
    http://shop.photographamerica.com/product-p/081-pdf.htm
    http://shop.photographamerica.com/product-p/019-pdf.htm

    Good luck!

  2. #12

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    God's Country
    Posts
    2,080

    Re: Two years in the US. Top locations?

    Riverman,

    As you are new in the area, my suggestion would be to find another LF photographer who lives in the area to go shooting with... especially out in the wilderness. Up in my neck of the woods, Search and Rescue teams are frequently out looking for lost hikers, etc.

    Surely, there must be someone in the area who wouldn't mind having company to go shooting with... and splitting expenses.

    Cheers
    Life in the fast lane!

  3. #13
    Eric Woodbury
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Posts
    1,637

    Re: Two years in the US. Top locations?

    What a wonderful opportunity. Even DC is a fabulous place to photo, but most of my experience is the west.

    If I were in your shoes, I'd get a big wall map of the US. Then I'd look at all the photos I could of things that look interesting to me to photo. Look at QT's pix of the national parks:

    http://www.terragalleria.com/

    Start marking them off and see where it takes you. It is a huge country and hard to see it all. I've been working on it for 50 years and there are still lots of places to go and places I love to see again and again.

    Fall is good everywhere. Winter is good in the southwest. July and August are hot most places except maybe the beaches of the west coast, Puget Sound, and some high mountains. Watch out for school holidays and be aware of hunting seasons.

    Have a great time.
    my picture blog
    ejwoodbury.blogspot.com

  4. #14

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    125

    Re: Two years in the US. Top locations?

    Here is a link to the scenic American byways. These roads take you through or near the most scenic areas of each state.

    http://www.byways.org/

    Have a fabulous time.

    J

  5. #15

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    954

    Re: Two years in the US. Top locations?

    Quote Originally Posted by jackies View Post
    Here is a link to the scenic American byways. These roads take you through or near the most scenic areas of each state.

    http://www.byways.org/

    Have a fabulous time.

    J
    Sheep trails.

  6. #16

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    669

    Re: Two years in the US. Top locations?

    The domestic airlines post special deals via email each week to fill empty seats. You could subscribe to those and then see what looks interesting for a photo trip.

  7. #17

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    143

    Re: Two years in the US. Top locations?

    Thanks everyone for all your replies and sharing the helpful links. I like the idea of a wall map! In between LF shoots I'll have my Nikon FM3a alongside me much of the time to try and keep a photo diary of my time in the US. Can't wait. Nothing like a change of scene to stoke creativity.

  8. #18
    8x20 8x10 John Jarosz's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Fairfax Iowa
    Posts
    663

    Re: Two years in the US. Top locations?

    If you've never been to west in the US, be aware that the distances between locales can be immense compared to Britain and the rest of Europe.

    For those kinds of trips, I would get last minute plane tickets as cheap as possible, then rent a car. If you leave Friday (or even Thursday night) and return on Sunday, you's be amazed at the spots you can accumulate over the course of a year. On those weekend jaunts, just plan to hit one destination. Frank is right, the big cities will have outrageous hotel and rental car costs.

    Never put the camera or film in checked baggage, but your tripod should survive.

    John

  9. #19
    Wayne venchka's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    1,872

    Re: Two years in the US. Top locations?

    Coastal North Carolina, Outer Banks. Houses to rent. Get a group together to split a house.

    Fly/drive is very good advice for trips of more than 8-12 hours driving.

    Four corners, southern half of Utah.

    Canadian Rockies. Do not miss them!

    GOOGLE knows!
    Wayne
    Deep in the darkest heart of the North Carolina rainforest.

    Wayne's Blog

    FlickrMyBookFaceTwitSpacei

  10. #20
    westernlens al olson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Southwest Mountains of Colorado
    Posts
    870

    Re: Two years in the US. Top locations?

    As far as local interests are concerned KMACK named of a number of good ones to occupy your weekends. There are the wildlife refuges around the bay, the old towns on the Eastern Shore, the Atlantic beaches, Civil War battlefields (Antietam is my favorite), etc. There is an incredible wealth of subject matter.

    If I wanted to do some photography at the Mall or at Baltimore's Inner Harbor I would get to my destination an hour before sunrise to avoid the tourist crowds. During the summer months you can have almost uninterrupted shooting from predawn until about 8 or 8:30 when the tourists begin arriving. Huntington Meadows in a nice nature preserve in Alexandria, but you will want to quit the area around 9:30 or 10 when all the noisy little anklebiters arrive to spook the wild life.

    The DC area has some excellent camera clubs which schedule field trips to areas of interest. This is a good way to get out and shoot with people who know the area. It is also a way to get tripod permits for places like Dumbarton Oaks and the Botanic Gardens. It is an opportunity to get acquainted with places that you would like to return to.

    If you are to be dwelling on the Maryland side I would recommend the Bethesda Camera Club and the Northern Virginia Photographic Society for the Virginia side. These would be starting points you can pick out other good ones that are convenient. I belonged to four different clubs when I resided in Virginia and I was field trip chairman for a couple of them.

    As far as traveling the rest of the country on long vacations much of your time can be eaten up if you are traveling any distances by car, even if you initially traveled by air. You will have difficulty avoiding crowds at our national parks and monuments, even in the off season. Autumn leaves also attract crowds and cause motels to be booked up way in advance. A lot of areas are so popular that you must obtain permits in advance, i.e. Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Green River.

    In the west there is a lot of photogenic scenery (plus ghost towns, old mines, etc.) not in the parks and popular areas that you can find by following the backroads, some of which require four wheeling. If you plan to do this, pick out some areas and get some good USGS topo maps or DeLorme Gazeteers to seek out these trails. I just found an exciting new forest road yesterday when I was up in the mountains photographing Summitville.

    It can be pretty isolated so it is not a good idea to be traveling alone (and you won't have cell phone coverage). At least let people know where you are going.

    If you happen to get out this way, send me a PM. I would be happy to show you around the area.
    al

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